Incorporating a functional ingredient into a food product can provide new nutritional properties or health-related benefits, but it can also alter characteristics that influence the consumption experience. Bitter tastes or lingering aftertastes, changes in texture, variations in colour or new mouthfeel sensations may emerge during development.
Evaluating these effects from the earliest formulations makes it possible to identify what is changing, guide formulation adjustments and prevent the incorporation of functional properties from compromising product acceptance.
The challenge is not just incorporating the ingredient
The incorporation of proteins, fibres, extracts, minerals or other functional ingredients does not affect all food matrices in the same way or at all concentrations. The same ingredient may behave differently depending on the product, the dose, the manufacturing process or its interaction with other components of the formulation.
Before finalising a formulation, it is important to define which sensory characteristics must be maintained and which can be modified without compromising the product’s identity and consumption experience. For existing products, there may be a clear sensory reference; for new product developments, the desired sensory profile will need to be defined in advance.
This aspect is particularly important in functional foods and nutraceuticals, where the benefit associated with the ingredient must coexist with a satisfying consumption experience. Functionality may generate interest in the product, but taste, texture, aroma and appearance remain determining factors in its acceptance.
Identifying what is changing
When differences emerge between prototypes, simply knowing that “one is liked more” provides limited information for further formulation work. The development team needs to know which attributes have changed, in what direction and to what extent.
A trained sensory panel makes it possible to compare formulations and objectively describe and quantify their sensory differences. It can detect, for example, increased bitterness, changes in aroma intensity, a drier texture, a loss of creaminess or changes in appearance.
When evaluating different concentrations of an ingredient, sensory analysis makes it possible to identify the levels at which relevant attributes begin to change and which formulations come closest to the target profile. In this way, sensory evaluation provides information to guide development and reduce reliance on trial-and-error processes.
Turning sensory assessment into formulation decisions
The objective is to transform sensory information into criteria that can guide reformulation.
If incorporating the ingredient increases bitterness, for example, it may be necessary to review its concentration or explore formulation strategies to mask it. If it alters the texture, it may be advisable to adjust other components of the food matrix or certain processing conditions.
In other cases, technological solutions that help protect the ingredient or minimise undesirable sensory characteristics, such as microencapsulation, should be considered. Sensory evaluation can accompany the different development iterations to verify whether the changes made progressively bring the product closer to the target profile.
This approach addresses a key question: what sensory impact is the functional ingredient having, and what adjustments can help integrate it more effectively into the product?
When should the consumer perspective be incorporated?
Once technically viable formulations have been identified, consumer research makes it possible to understand how relevant these changes are to the target audience.
Consumer studies make it possible to compare prototypes, understand preferences and identify the product’s strengths and weaknesses. They also help assess whether the benefit associated with the new ingredient outweighs, from the consumer’s perspective, any potential changes in the consumption experience.
When functionality is a key element of the value proposition, it is also important to understand how consumers perceive and interpret it. The promised benefit is not assessed in isolation, but in relation to expectations regarding the product’s taste, texture, sensations and how it is consumed.
An evaluation strategy tailored to each ingredient
The evaluation design must be adapted to the ingredient, the product and the development stage. Studying a fibre that mainly alters texture is not the same as studying an extract that introduces new aromatic notes or an ingredient that causes interactions in the perception of taste and texture.
Defining from the outset which attributes may be affected, which formulations should be evaluated and which decisions should be made based on the results makes it possible to obtain genuinely useful information for R&D teams.
How AINIA can help you
At AINIA, we combine product development, sensory analysis and consumer research to help companies incorporate new ingredients without losing sight of the sensory experience and product acceptance.
Using trained sensory panels, we characterise and quantify the sensory changes associated with different formulations. Through consumer studies, we assess their impact on product acceptance, providing key information to select and optimise the formulation before its market launch.
