FREE-CHOICE PROFILING OF MILKS AND OTHER PRODUCTS PREPARED WITH MILKS OF DIFFERENT FAT CONTENTS

Free-choice profiling was used to develop a sensory profile of milks of different fat content and a range of food products prepared from them. The products were cornflakes, flavored milk, instant coffee, oat cereal, savory sauce, tea, and whipped dessert. The aim of the work was to investigate whether or not sensory differences brought about by using milk with a different fat content are noticeable in the context of use, and, if so how the differences can best be described. The milks of different fat content, the flavored milk and the cornflakes, savory sauce, and tea to which milk was added were significantly different from each other but the instant coffee, oat cereal, and whipped desserts were not. The differences found between the samples of different fat content were most often described with mouthfeel terms pertaining to viscosity, i.e., “thin/watery,”“buttery/fatty/ greasy/oily,”“coating/clinging,” and “creamy/rich.”