Psychophysical Relationship between Sweetness and Redness in Strawberry-Flavored Drinks

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Sensory Science
• Colorimetry

Background:

• Consumer preference for food products is often influenced by visual cues, such as color.
• The relationship between color intensity and perceived sweetness in beverages requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of varying strawberry-red color intensities on perceived sweetness, pleasantness, and color acceptability in sweetened beverages.
• To quantify the relationship between sucrose concentration, color intensity, and perceived sweetness.

Main Methods:

• A consumer-like taste panel (10 adults) evaluated five strawberry-red colored beverages with varying sucrose (3.2%-4.8%) and FD&C Red 40 concentrations.
• Magnitude estimation was used to assess sweetness, pleasantness, and color acceptability.
• Color was measured using Gardner XL-23 and G.E. Recording Spectrophotometer, converted to L*, a*, b* values, and analyzed against arctan (a*/b*) for intensity.

Main Results:

• Perceived sweetness increased significantly with rising sucrose concentration (r²≥0.87).
• Sweetness perception also increased with greater color intensity, showing a 2-12% rise in 4% sucrose solutions.
• Color intensity, pleasantness, and color acceptability collectively influenced perceived sweetness, with specific color samples rated highest.

Conclusions:

• Beverage color intensity significantly modulates perceived sweetness, independent of sugar content.
• Optimal color intensity enhances both perceived sweetness and overall product acceptability.
• The color-sweetness relationship is linear within a specific, limited color range.