Sensory properties and consumer acceptance of ready‐to‐drink vanilla protein beverages

Abstract

Ready-to-drink (RTD) protein beverages are growing in popularity in the US market.Protein beverages vary in protein amount and source and as such, have substantially different sensory experiences. This study applied descriptive analysis and consumer acceptance testing to identify sensory properties and drivers of like and dislike in vanilla RTD protein beverages. A category survey with 33 beverages were conducted by a trained panel. Ten representative beverages were evaluated by vanilla protein beverage consumers (n = 150) for overall and specific liking attributes. Twenty sensory attributes were identified. The drivers of liking for vanilla RTD protein beverages included cooked/milky, caramelized, and vanilla/vanillin flavors, sweet and salty tastes, and viscosity, while the drivers of dislike were green pea and cereal/grainy flavors. Consumer clusters were differentiated by preferences for vanilla flavor intensity, viscosity and their tolerances for bitter taste and astringency. Consumer clusters were also distinguished by preferences for natural label, protein type, carbohydrate content, and sweeteners. Practical applicationsThe ideal vanilla ready-to-drink (RTD) protein beverage for all consumers is a sweet and viscous beverage with intense milky and caramelized flavors with high protein content. This study adapted a lexicon for vanilla RTD beverages, demonstrated the intrinsic drivers of liking for vanilla RTD protein beverages and provides insights on consumer preferences to guide further product development of RTD protein beverages. | INTRODUCTIONReady-to-drink (RTD) protein beverages are growing in popularity in the US market. The total US sales of nutrition and weight loss drinks was $5.1 billion in 2018 and is forecasted for continued and steady growth (Mintel, 2020). Protein beverages usually contain 5-40 g of protein per serving. Protein beverages can be RTD or ready to mix (RTM) powders. In 2018, the RTM category was 77.8% of the protein beverages market, while the RTD category was 22.2% of the market (Statista, 2020). Within the RTD category, protein beverages can be neutral pH (typically called "shakes") or clear acidic (pH < 3.5) beverages. Neutral pH drinks or shakes are typically commercially sterile beverages processed by aseptic or retort processing, while acidic beverages are hot-filled, pasteurized cold-filled or tunnel-pasteurized beverages that are generally considered to be shelf-stable at room temperature (Rittmanic, 2006).These beverages (RTD and RTM) are used by consumers for weight management, sports, recreation and nutrition purposes, and are also consumed for their convenience and shelf stability benefits (Corbo, Bevilacqua, Petruzzi, Casanova, & Sinigaglia, 2014;Oltman, Lopetcharat, & Drake, 2015). Among the protein sources used in these products, beverages may contain a single-type of protein or a combination of proteins, including plant and animal-based protein sources. Protein selection is extremely important for consumer

Using check‐all‐that‐apply to evaluate wine and food pairings: An investigation with white wines

“…Previous studies have found that CATA questionnaires provide reproducible results, as well as consistency among descriptions of the sensory attributes of food (Ares et al, 2013; Dooley, Lee, & Meullenet, 2010; Jaeger et al, 2013). The CATA questionnaire is an efficient method, as it requires minimal instruction to the panelists, is reasonably easy to understand (Dooley et al, 2010), and it can discriminate the sensory attributes in many complex products (da Silva, Peano, & Giuggioli, 2021; de Melo, de Dutra, & Alencar, 2021; Foguel, Ract, & da Silva, 2021; Liu, Toro‐Gipson, & Drake, 2021; Rodrigues et al, 2021). For this reason, this method has been widely used to evaluate the sensory attributes of wine (Brand, Panzeri, & Buica, 2020; Puyares, Ares, & Carrau, 2010; Rinaldi, Vecchio, & Moio, 2021; Schumaker, Diako, Castura, Edwards, & Ross, 2019).…”

Temporal ranking for characterization and improved discrimination of protein beverages

“…Seven commercial ready‐to‐drink (RTD) vanilla‐flavored protein beverages (Table 2) with a variety of different sweeteners, sweet taste intensities, protein sources, and protein loads were selected for TCATA and TR analysis. Beverages (Figure 1a,b) were selected from a set of 33 commercial protein beverages that were evaluated in a previous study (Liu et al, 2021). The RTD beverages were selected to give high differentiation between beverages based on sensory profile means and the first four components in principal component analysis (PCA; see PCA biplots; Figure 1a,b).…”

“…Principal component analysis biplot of the sensory (trained panel) properties of 33 commercial vanilla ready‐to‐drink protein beverages—(a) F1 and F2; (b) F3 and F4 (used with permission from Liu et al, 2021). Beverages with bold box were selected for the current study.…”

“…Beverages with bold box were selected for the current study. Liu et al (2021) selected the underline beverages for consumer testing. Supplementary variables in green are sensory attributes that were detected in fewer than three samples.…”

“…Protein blend, protein load, and sweetener of selected representative ready-to-drink vanilla protein beverages (used with permission fromLiu, Del Toro-Gipson, & Drake, 2021) …”