Sugar and fat: sensory and hedonic evaluation of liquid and solid foods

Twenty-five subjects evaluated the sweetness, creaminess and fat content of liquid and solid dairy products containing between 0.1 and 52 g fat/100 g and sweetened with 0-20% sucrose weight/weight. Liquid stimuli included skim milk, whole milk, half and half, and heavy cream, while the solids included cottage cheese and cream cheese, blended and spread "jelly-roll" fashion on slices of white bread. The subjects' ratings of stimulus sweetness, creaminess, and fat content differed sharply between liquids and solids, and the assessment of fat content of solid foods appeared to be impaired. In contrast, acceptability ratings for both sets of stimuli were not substantially different: the subjects optimally preferred equivalent levels of sugar in both liquids and solids, but selected higher fat levels in solid than in liquid foods. Sensory preferences for fat in liquid stimuli may not always be indicative of preferences for fat in solid foods.