Using rejection thresholds to determine acceptability of novel bioactive compounds added to milk-based beverages

This study aimed to identify the amount of crude casein-hydrolysate (HMW) and a low molecular weight sub-fraction (LMW) thereof that could be incorporated into strawberry- and vanilla-flavoured beverages before the bitterness/taste became objectionable to panellists. The beverages were spiked with increasing amounts of hydrolysate and a 2-alternative forced choice (2-AFC) design was employed to determine rejection thresholds (RjT). Results showed a higher amount of HMW, than LMW, could be incorporated into the beverages before the taste became objectionable and the type of flavouring did not have a significant effect on RjT. Following the 2-AFC, panellists rated the bitterness of the hydrolysates (in water) on a general Labelled Magnitude Scale (gLMS). Results showed no significant differences between the bitterness perception of the HMW and LMW. However, there was considerable variation in the panellists’ perception of bitterness, suggesting possible evidence for segmentation. Using this rationale, each panel was segmented into two groups: those who rated the bitterness of the hydrolysate samples as ≤20 on the gLMS and, those who rated the bitterness as ≥75 on the gLMS, and RjT were examined within them. Although a trend was seen for those most sensitive to bitterness in water, to have a lower acceptance for the level in the beverages, the RjT of the segmented groups were not significantly different from each other. Evaluation of hydrolysates in water does therefore not appear to be suitable for predicting consumer acceptance of hydrolysates in food matrices; highlighting the importance of testing food ingredients in the final food product