In vivo aroma release measurements and sensory perception of flavoured milk proteins gels

International audienceThree mixed milk gels with different structures were formulated. The addition of increasingconcentration of chymosin resulted in an increase in gel hardness evaluated by penetrometrymeasurements. The in vivo release of aroma compounds from these gels was studied byAtmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionisation - Mass Spectrometry (APCI-MS) in Nosespaceconfiguration and with a panel of fourteen subjects. Aroma release was found to be stronglyaffected by structure variation. An increase in gel hardness resulted in an increase in theamount and the rate of aroma release. In parallel, sensory analysis was performed using theprofile method. Data treatment revealed that the different structures were perceived at thesensory level and could be described with numerous texture attributes. Intensity of saltperception was found to decrease from the softer to the harder gel. Overall aroma perceptionpresented a tendency to decrease with gel hardness. Aroma perception could not be correlatedwith aroma release parameters, and cross-modal interactions were not excluded to explainresults