Impact of rebaudioside A degradation compounds on flavor perception.

Rebaudioside A, a sweet-tasting steviol glycoside, is known to degrade in food products during storage and thought to contribute to flavor instability. The impact of rebaudioside A degradation compounds on flavor perception was investigated. Sensory descriptive analysis indicated rebaudioside A degradation compounds, at concentrations below detection thresholds, modified the perception of taste, somatosensorial, and retronasal aroma attributes of a strawberry-flavored model beverage. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis and orthonasal sensory tetrad tests further indicated the addition of the degradation compounds did not significantly alter the volatile aroma composition or orthonasal perception, respectively. Altogether, subthreshold unimodal and cross-modal integration of multisensory percepts were supported to impact the flavor performance of rebaudioside A.