How Texture Influences Aroma and Taste Perception Over Time in Candies

Many studies deal with the impact of texture on aroma and taste perceptions, but only a few address their temporal evolution during consumption. In order to better understand perception mechanisms, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of candy texture on aroma and taste perception dynamics using both profile method to obtain global information and the Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) method for dynamic information. Results showed that texture (ranging from liquid to hard gels) influenced aroma and taste sequences perceived during consumption. For example, a hard candy (15% gelatin) was described as having an initial butter sensation, followed by a strawberry perception, whereas a soft candy (2% gelatin) was described successively by sour, green, and strawberry perceptions. Despite the different sensory mechanisms involved in evaluating global or temporal sensations, similar results were obtained by TDS and profile methods concerning perceived intensities of aromatic and taste perceptions. They highlighted a decrease in aroma and taste intensities when firmness increased. To conclude, the additional information obtained with TDS concerning the temporal dimension of perception confirmed the interest of such a method to better understand the dynamics of the phenomena involved in texture-flavor interactions.