Aroma and texture related cross-modal interactions for sugar reduction in chocolate milk

Reducing sugar consumption in food product formulation is one of the strategies for achieving healthy food, but this has a detrimental effect on the texture and sensory properties of the product. The taste perception has been proven to be influenced by the structure and composition of the foods. In this study, the aroma and texture related cross-modal interactions on perceived sweetness of flavored milk and sugar reduction were investigated. Different treatments of chocolate milk included control treatments with different sugar content (4.5, 6 and 7.5%) and 14 treatments containing different amounts of stabilizer (0.10, 0.15 and 0.20%), vanilla (0, 0.002 and 0.004%) and caramel (0, 0.025 and 0.05%). pH, dry matter and viscosity of all treatments were determined and then all treatments were evaluated by a trained evaluator group and a semi-trained evaluator group. Data analysis was performed using TOPSIS and AHP methods to select the best product. Results showed that with decreasing sugar, pH decreased and with increasing stabilizer dry matter and viscosity increased (P<0.05). Samples containing the combination of vanilla and caramel flavors with reduced sugar by 20% had the best sensory properties. Treatments containing stabilizers also increased the perception of sweetness in the presence of flavors. Overall, this study showed that the sugar content in cocoa milk formulation can be successfully reduced until 20% by the simultaneous use of stabilizers and vanilla and caramel flavors.