Pii: s0031-9384(99)00205-x

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of temperature (50 8 C and 6 8 C), pH (pH 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and 7.0) and the addition of monovalent and divalent cations (5 mM Na 1 , 5 mM K 1 , and 5 mM Ca 2 1 ) on the sweetness intensity ratings of sweeteners ranging widely in chemical structure. A trained panel provided intensity evaluations for prototypical tastes (sweet, bitter, sour, and salty) as well as aromatic and mouth-feel attributes. The following sweeteners were included in this experiment: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), three terpenoid glycosides (monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), two N -sulfonylamides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone), and one chlorodeoxysugar (sucralose). Two to five levels of each sweetener reflecting a range of sweetness intensities were tested, using formulae developed by DuBois et al. The main finding from this three-part study was that temperature, pH, and ions had little effect on perceived sweetness intensity. Even when significant differences were found in the temperature study, the effects were very small. © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.