Investigation of synergism in binary mixtures of sweeteners

The purpose of the present study was to determine the presence and degree of synergism among all binary mixtures of 14 sweeteners varying in chemical structure. A trained panel evaluated binary combinations of the following sweeteners: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two diterpenoid glycosides (rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), two N-sulfonyl amides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), and one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone). Each sweetener was tested at three concentrations that were isosweet with 3%, 5%, and 7% sucrose. Two methods of analysis were performed to determine synergistic effects. In Method I, an ANOVA was performed for each intensity level to determine if the mean sweetness intensity ratings of each binary mixture were equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., additivity) or not equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., synergism or suppression). In Method II, an additional ANOVA was performed to determine if the sweetness intensity ratings of any given mixture were equal to or greater than the average of the sweetness ratings of the two pure components in that blend.