Sheep milk kefir sweetened with different sugars: Sensory acceptance and consumer emotion profiling

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the sensory acceptance and emotional profile of sheep milk kefir sweetened with different sugars (demerara sugar, brown sugar, fructose, coconut sugar, and honey, 100 g/L). Consumers (n = 100) assessed sensory acceptance (appearance, aroma, taste, texture, and overall impression), and expressed their emotions (satisfied, active, loving, calm, comfortable, energetic, happy, healthy, refreshing, disgusted, worried, and upset). The emotions "satisfied," "active," "comfortable," "energetic," "healthy," and "refreshing" were found between moderate and very high levels, indicating that they are important emotions for the characterization and sensory acceptance of kefir samples. The use of different sugars had no influence on the intensity of the emotions "calm," "comfortable," "happy," or "disgusted," and resulted in a greater sense of satisfaction. The use of demerara sugar or fructose did not alter the acceptance of the products or the intensity of emotions. The use of brown sugar decreased acceptance (taste, texture, and overall impression) and the intensity of the emotions "active," "loving," "energetic," "healthy," and "refreshing." The use of coconut sugar decreased acceptance (appearance, aroma, and taste) and the intensity of the emotions "refreshing" and "upset." The use of honey improved acceptance in appearance and aroma but reduced the intensity of the emotions "active," "loving," "energetic," and "healthy." Based on sensory data, it is recommended to use demerara sugar or fructose as a substitute for sucrose. In conclusion, the study of emo-tions can be used as an additional tool for obtaining data related to the sensory acceptance of products.

Comparison of commercial and traditional kefir microbiota using metagenomic analysis

“…Kefir is produced from the fermentation of various animal milks such as cow, goat, sheep or buffalo and characterised by a distinct yeast‐like flavour that feels gaseous or foamy in the mouth (Mitra and Ghosh 2020; Larosa et al . 2021b). Kefir has a very complex taste since the grains used in its production have diverse and complex microbiota such as lactic acid bacteria ( Lactobacillus , Lactococcus , Streptococcus , Leuconostoc ), yeast and acetic acid bacteria (Farag et al .…”

“…2018; Larosa et al . 2021a, 2021b) and update on scientific data on positive health effects of its microbiota. Kefir is produced from the fermentation of various animal milks such as cow, goat, sheep or buffalo and characterised by a distinct yeast‐like flavour that feels gaseous or foamy in the mouth (Mitra and Ghosh 2020; Larosa et al .…”

Effect of honeydew honey addition on the water activity and water holding capacity of kefir in the context of its sensory acceptability

“…According to Larosa et. al use of honey for kefir improves acceptance in appearance and aroma 46 . Păucean et al showed that the optimal addition of honey to kefir was 2.5% (w/v), and the introduction of 4% honey (w/v) made the kefir too sweet.…”

Effect of milk kind on the physicochemical and sensorial properties of synbiotic kefirs containing Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium bifidum BB-11 accompanied with inulin

“…Scoring tests are the most common methods to reveal the sensory characteristics of a product in order to determine the consumer preference. In addition, there are new techniques such as free word association (Judacewski et al, 2019) or emotional profiling (Larosa et al, 2021b) that have been developed in recent years.…”