Temporal check-all-that-apply on the sensory profiling of sucrose-replaced sweetener blends of natural and synthetic origin

The present study aimed to formulate sucrose-replaced samples with natural or synthetic sweeteners, and to benchmark the temporal sensory profile of sucrose-replaced samples to a control sample (100% sucrose). Acesulfame-K, aspartame, erythritol, rebaudioside M, and sucralose replaced sucrose at four different levels (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) in aqueous solutions. A trained sensory panel evaluated the samples with temporal check-all-that-apply. The sweeteners showed great individual differences in their ability to replace sucrose. Except for aspartame, the 25% sucrose replacement across all sweeteners was not significantly different from the control. Aspartame, erythritol, and sucralose showed no difference from sucrose for the 50% and 75% sucrose-replaced samples. In contrast, a replacement of above 25% sucrose with acesulfame-K and rebaudioside M resulted in significant variations in the aftertaste period resulting in bitter off-taste and licorice off-flavor, respectively, compared to the control. Conclusively, synthetic and natural sweeteners were able to partially replace sucrose without altering the temporal sensory profile. Practical ApplicationsThis study showed high variability of achievable sucrose replacement suggesting that the choice of sweetener is crucial for a successful replacement. Blends of sucralose or erythritol with sucrose was most suitable to mimic the sensory profile of sucrose. This can be applied by the food industry in the innovation of low energy food and beverage products with comparable sensory profiles to the sucrose counterparts.