EFFECTS OF COLORANTS AND FLAVORANTS ON IDENTIFICATION, PERCEIVED FLAVOR INTENSITY, AND HEDONIC QUALITY OF FRUIT‐FLAVORED BEVERAGES AND CAKE

TLDR

The study examined how food color affects flavor identification, perceived intensity, and hedonic quality in fruit‑flavored beverages and cake. Four experiments evaluated flavor identification and hedonic responses across varying food color and flavor levels in noncarbonated beverages and cake. Color masking reduced flavor identification, atypical colors produced incorrect flavor responses, and color level significantly influenced acceptability and flavor intensity in both beverages and cake, with overall acceptability more closely tied to flavor than color and safety information having no effect.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Four experiments were conducted to assess the effect of food color on flavor identification of noncarbonated beverages and to assess the interactive effect of food color and flavor levels on the perceived flavor intensity and hedonic quality of beverages and cake. Results showed that color masking dramatically decreased flavor identification of fruit‐flavored beverages, while atypical colors induced incorrect flavor responses that were characteristically associated with the atypical color. In addition, the color level of beverages had significant effects on their overall acceptability, acceptability of color and of flavor, as well as on flavor intensity. The same results were shown with cake samples, with the exception that a significant interaction of color and flavor level was observed on overall acceptability. Correlational analysis on the subjective dimensions showed that the overall acceptability of both the beverage and cake products was more closely associated with ratings of flavor acceptability than with ratings of color acceptability. In addition, a test of the effect of colorant safety information showed that such information did not decrease any aspect of a product's acceptability.