A comparison of aspartame and sucrose with respect to carryover effects in yogurt

Abstract

Sensory profiling tests were carried out on natural, unsweetened yogurt consumed directly after yogurt sweetened with sucrose, aspartame or mixtures of aspartame + acesulfame K. There was no evidence that residual sweetness or bitterness from aspartame, either alone or blended, was perceived in the natural yogurt although sourness appeared to be masked. Natural yogurt had the highest bitter aftertaste when preceded by yogurt containing sucrose, which was explained as a contrast effect. In repeated consumption tests, flavored fruit yogurts tended to increase in sweetness and decrease in sourness over the rounds of repeated consumption, independent of sweetener type. Commercial samples of strawberry yogurt were not separated into groups according to sweetener type by a simple grouping test.