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Rejection Thresholds in Chocolate Milk: Evidence for Segmentation.
Meriel L Harwood1, Gregory R Ziegler, John E Hayes
1Sensory Evaluation Center, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
Food Quality and Preference
|July 4, 2012
Summary
Individuals who prefer dark chocolate can tolerate higher levels of bitterness than those who prefer milk chocolate. This difference in bitterness tolerance is not due to detection ability but rather acceptability.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Sensory Science
- Consumer Behavior
Background:
- Bitterness in chocolate, often from cacao's natural compounds, is complex; while generally negative, it's desired in products like coffee and chocolate.
- Fermentation and roasting reduce raw cacao's bitterness, developing typical chocolate flavors.
- Fortifying chocolate with raw cacao for health benefits necessitates understanding bitterness limits, even for those who enjoy it.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify and compare Rejection Thresholds (RjT) and Detection Thresholds (DT) for bitterness in chocolate milk.
- To investigate if self-declared chocolate preference (milk vs. dark) influences bitterness thresholds.
- To determine if bitterness acceptability, not detection, underlies preference differences.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Paired preference tests to estimate RjT for bitterness in chocolate milk.
- Experiment 2: Forced choice ascending method of limits to determine RjT and DT.
- Participants were grouped based on preference for milk or dark solid chocolate.
Main Results:
- The Rejection Threshold (RjT) for bitterness was approximately 2.3 times higher for dark chocolate preference group compared to the milk chocolate preference group.
- This difference in RjT was consistent across both experimental methods.
- Detection Thresholds (DT) for bitterness were virtually identical between the two preference groups.
Conclusions:
- Individuals preferring dark chocolate have a higher tolerance for bitterness (higher RjT) than those preferring milk chocolate.
- The ability to detect bitterness (DT) does not differ between these groups.
- Differential liking of chocolate products based on bitterness is related to acceptability (RjT), not sensory detection ability (DT).
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