Sensory properties of soft drinks

As the favor and odor of a soft drink are very important elements of a product they should be closely controlled.

This is generally carried out by trained panelists who have been screened to ensure that they have an aptitude for this type of assessment; they are often quality assurance panel or workers from the production plant.

Acidulants are of considerable importance in determining the sensory quality of soft drinks and care must be taken during formulation to obtain the correct sugar-acid balance.

Sugar can interact with a wide variety of chemical constituents. Combination of sugars can synergistically in regard to sensory response.

Some flavor compounds can enhance sweetness, for example maltol. Bitter compounds can repress sweetness and acids are very effective at repressing sweetness.

Carbonated soft drinks differ from non-carbonated in containing carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is responsible for the extra sparkle in the mouth feel, flavor and ‘bite’ which distinguishes carbonated soft drinks from their non-carbonated counterparts.

Another important factor is color of the drinks. The perception of color influences the taster’s perception of a drink, and thus coloring is inevitably controversial.

Color provides a means of correctly presenting a beverage to the consumer so that the perceived organoleptic attributes are correctly ordered in a sequence of appreciation.

During production, many contaminants, even at level within drinking water standards may adversely affect the soft drinks. For example, some algae produce compounds that are sensory active at level as low as nanograms per liter can result in a ‘dirty’, ‘musty’ flavor and aroma in finished products.
Sensory properties of soft drinks