Temporal sweetness profile of the emerging sweetener MNEI in stirred yogurt

Abstract

Yogurt is widely consumed by people under‐controlled dietary regimes. The addition of hypocaloric sweeteners to the yogurt is typically used to make them more palatable, but this may affect the fermentation phase and/or its physical and sensory characteristics. The aim of this work was to test the possible application of an emerging sweetener, MNEI, a variant of a sweet protein, monellin. In particular, its sweetness profile was compared with that of other natural sweeteners, sucrose, xylitol, and sorbitol, in yogurt. First, determinations of iso‐sweet concentration of MNEI and of those sweeteners were performed, both for set and stirred yogurts. Then, the sweetness temporal profiles of all the sweeteners were evaluated as the mean of time–intensity data (t–I). In set yogurt, the iso‐sweet concentrations of xylitol and sorbitol, but not of MNEI, were found, whereas, in stirred yogurts, the concentrations were determined for all the sweeteners. t–I results showed that sweeteners had similar behaviors, except for the end time of sweetness perception: in particular, in stirred yogurt, MNEI resulted in a more lingering sweet aftertaste. These results suggest new applications of the sweet protein MNEI in food preparations, although the combination with other natural sweeteners could be explored. Practical applications Yogurts are ideal products to develop potential applications of MNEI, a protein that has been demonstrated stable to acidic environments, and to our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of a sweet protein to sweeten viscous food preparations. Preliminary experimental results suggest new possible applications of sweet protein MNEI in food samples. In particular, it could be used to sweeten‐stirred yogurt.

Changes in temporal sensory profile, liking, satiety, and postconsumption attributes of yogurt with natural sweeteners

“…Dominance duration of sweet over time differed significantly among the four different yogurts used in this study although they were formulated with iso‐sweet concentrations. In the present study, determination of iso‐sweet concentration of sweeteners employed the sip and spit method (Miele et al., 2019). However, temporal evaluation of sensory attributes of yogurts involved the use of the multiple intake TDS method (Jager et al., 2014) in the present study.…”

“…A total of 15 panelists aged between 21 and 50 years of age participated in this test. In reference to previous literature (Ban et al., 2020; Costa et al., 2019; Pereira et al., 2021), two concentrations of xylitol (9 g and 10 g/100 g), stevia (0.15 g and 0.20 g/100 g), and monk fruit (0.10 g and 0.15 g/100 g) were prepared and evaluated using the sip and spit method (Miele et al., 2019). Each sample was served at room temperature in plastic cups coded with three‐digit random numbers.…”

Chewing gums with yerba mate and different flavors: An initial study with consumers

“…Fourteen panelists of Embrapa Florestas (employees) with more than 50 hr of training in sensory studies were used to evaluate the chewing gum selected from the acceptance test. The panelists evaluated the general taste duration in the sample, recording the intensity of this attribute in accordance with the time spent (e.g., Miele et al., 2019; Palazzo & Bolini, 2009).…”

Potential use of naturally colored antioxidants in the food industry—A study of consumers' perception and acceptance

“…The tests were performed in a sensory analysis laboratory according to ISO 8589 (ISO, 2007). Yogurt samples were prepared the day before and refrigerated at 4 C. Each yogurt sample (10 ml) was served at 15 C in a plastic cup coded with a three-digit random number (Miele et al, 2019). Pâté samples were prepared the day before and refrigerated at 4 C in glass containers.…”