PROFILING OF SENSORY EVALUATION OF A NO-SUGAR-ADDED VANILLA ICE CREAM AMONG SPECIFIC AGE AND GENDER POPULATIONS

Abstract

A follow-up study of 200 participants tasted and rated two samples of vanilla ice cream on a 9-point hedonic scale to indicate their preference for various attributes noted in both products. A standard recipe for vanilla ice cream was used, and the two samples differed only in their sugar content, where the control was a regular ice cream product and the experimental prototype was a sugar-free, polyol-containing ice cream. The participants were categorized into one of four groups for data compilation and interpretation: (1) male students; (2) female students; (3) male adults; and (4) female adults. They filled out questionnaires, and the results were tabulated by physical attributes (i.e., taste, texture and appearance) as well as by overall impressions of the sensory characteristics of the two samples as means for comparison. The results of the study concurred with past findings regarding overall consumer acceptability of the no-sugar-added ice cream when compared with the regular Creamery ice cream. All of the physical attributes for the two samples were statistically insignificant except for the “sweetness” category. While participants rated the no-sugar-added ice cream as tasting less sweet than the regular ice cream, this was a good thing because the regular ice cream was rated significantly too sweet compared to the no-sugar-added one. Statistical analysis also indicates a male-based preference for sweeter-tasting ice cream versus their female counterparts. Acceptability and preference of no-sugar-added ice cream in young men and women should be taken into account by ice cream manufacturers as well as by suppliers of maltitol sweeteners.