Time to maximum sweetness intensity of binary and ternary blends of sweeteners

The purpose of the current study was to determine what effect, if any, the blending of sweeteners has on the time to maximum sweetness intensity of sweeteners. In this study that is comprised of three separate experiments, trained panelists evaluated the time to maximum sweetness intensity of sweeteners tested in both binary and ternary combinations. Sixteen sweeteners that varied widely in chemical structure were evaluated. Sweetener blends containing the protein thaumatin had the latest time to maximum sweetness intensity. As a group, blends containing neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, alitame, stevioside, rebauadioside-A, or neotame had later times to maximum sweetness intensity than blends with sugars and sugar alcohols. Many sweetener blends exhibited times to maximum sweetness intensity that fell intermediate between the earliest and latest of its constituent self-mixtures. These data indicate that the time to maximum sweetness intensity of “late” sweeteners can be shortened by blending with earlier onset sweeteners.