Application of combined tetrad tests and multi-sip Temporal Check-All-That-Apply to enhance carbonated beverage flavor differentiation

Sensory discrimination testing is conducted for many reasons, including—but not limited to—flavor matching initiatives. When conducting these tests on carbonated beverages, there is not an established protocol on the best way to differentiate these multifaceted products. This is in part due to the formulations exhibiting a spectrum of carbonation (CO₂) levels, flavors and ingredients. This research conducted tetrad tests at four time points of CO₂ dissipation (0, 5, 10, and 15 min) and at two temperatures (refrigerated and ambient) to determine the sample preparation scenarios for which the “high discrimination” and “low discrimination” sample differentiation occurred. Subsequently, a select beverage pair was assessed in the “high discrimination” and the “low discrimination” preparation scenarios using multi-sip Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA). The objective of this research was to assess if identifying optimal sample preparations that enhanced sample differentiation from a series of tetrad tests allowed for a more discriminatory TCATA assessment. Results indicated that sample preparation significantly affected the ability to differentiate beverages for select attributes, but the “high discrimination” scenario was not always the more differentiating condition. Future work will aim to increase the knowledge of these interactions with additional carbonated products to further validate and generalize these findings.

Practical Applications

Sensory professionals will gain knowledge on how to optimize sample preparation for discovery of scenarios in which carbonated product flavors might be better differentiated.