Sensory perception of ice cream and plant-based alternatives evaluated blinded and with ingredient lists

Abstract

New plant-based alternatives (PBAs) to dairy are being created by the food industry and they are of interest to many consumers. However, some of these PBAs use ingredients that are unfamiliar to consumers. As such, the objectives of this study were to first evaluate the acceptability and sensory perception of ice cream as well as dairy and plant-based frozen desserts. Secondly, to evaluate the impact of the ingredient lists on the acceptability and perception of these food products. Two sensory trials were conducted using hedonic scales and check-all-that-apply (CATA). Participants (n = 117) were asked to evaluate five products (dairy, frozen dairy dessert (FDD), cashew, coconut, and soy) in blinded and informed conditions (with the ingredient list). The plant-based samples were liked significantly less than the dairy-based ice cream in both the blinded and informed conditions. The dairy ice cream was associated with natural vanilla, creamy flavour, sweet and milk/dairy flavour, which all increased the participants’ liking. The plant-based samples were associated with off-flavours, nutty, beany, and vegetal, as well as a strong aftertaste, sandiness, and grittiness. The presentation of the ingredient lists decreased the participants’ liking of the plant-based samples’ flavour but it did not impact their sensory perception based on the CATA question. Overall, the presence of the ingredient list decreased the consumer acceptability but did not impact the sensory properties the participants perceived in the ice cream samples.