Perception of sugar‐acid mixtures in lemon juice drink

Abstract

SummaryAcid was removed from lemon juice by selective adsorption on to a weak‐base resin. Four levels each of sucrose and citric acid were combined factorially and dissolved in the low‐acid juice, providing sixteen stimulus combinations. Using graphic‐rating scales, assessors evaluated the stimuli for intensities of overall flavour, sweetness, and acidity; the relation of each of these intensities to ideal; and general acceptability. The various acceptability responses proved to be internally consistent, and the experiment suggested an optimum sugar‐acid blend from the sixteen combinations. Ratings of overall flavour strength followed a compressed pattern in a factorial plot, with increasing concentrations of sugar and acid exerting a diminishingly small effect. In the perception of individual components, sucrose clearly suppressed the perceived intensity of citric acid, but only the highest concentration of acid unequivocally suppressed sweetness. There was a striking similarity between each set of intensity responses and the corresponding ideal‐relative responses, suggesting a link between intensity and hedonics.