Consumer preferences of artificial and natural flavours: a case in soft ice cream

Abstract

Consumers have a high awareness regarding the additives used in their food products. The use of artificial and natural flavours as additives in a food product is debatable and it will directly impact sensory attributes and consumer preferences. The objective of this study was to investigate the different sensory profiles and consumer acceptability of soft ice cream with different types of vanilla flavours (artificial vs. natural). In addition, liking segmentations based on gender and age group were also investigated. Descriptive sensory profiles (n=10), differentiation testing (n=40), and consumer acceptability test (n=162) were determined. There were no significant differences for sensory attributes except for texture (p= 0.001). The differentiation testing disclosed no differences between artificial and natural vanilla flavours (p=0.09). However, soft ice cream made with the artificial vanilla flavour has a significantly higher liking (p< 0.01) compared to the natural flavour. There were no significant differences in consumer acceptability levels based on gender and age-group segmentations. This study can be used as a primary reference to select appropriate flavours of artificial and natural in a certain food product.