Effect of composition on the rheological behaviour and sensory properties of semisolid dairy dessert

The rheological behaviour and sensory properties of 30 vanilla dairy dessert model systems were studied, with special attention to the effects of λ-carrageenan concentration and milk fat content. The viscosity profiles recorded during the thermo-mechanical process showed differences as a function of sample formulation. The addition of λ-carrageenan resulted in an increment of the registered viscosity values. During cooling, the samples containing higher carrageenan concentration reached the maximum value of apparent viscosity at higher temperatures than in the case of samples without carrageenan. Most systems showed a clear gel-like behaviour, except those with the lowest starch concentrations and without carrageenan that showed fluid-like behaviour. G′ values, registered at 1 Hz, increased with carrageenan concentration. For samples with less than 0.1% λ-carrageenan, the presence of milk fat increased G′ values and for higher carrageenan concentrations the effect was the opposite. As expected, the thickness perceived, both in the skim milk and in the whole milk dairy desserts, increased with λ-carrageenan concentration. Concentrations of λ-carrageenan up to 0.06% increased creaminess. In general, samples with higher λ-carrageenan concentration were perceived with less flavour intensity and with less sweetness.