Would repeated consumption of sports drinks with different acidulants lead to hedonic adjustment?

Repeated exposure to sports drinks with different acidulants added at equal sour concentrations led to hedonic adjustment when consumers (n = 128) evaluated a Lemon & Lime flavoured sports drink over a period of 14 days. Consumer preferences after repeated exposure could not have been predicted from the initial small sample single exposure consumer taste test. Product exposure and time on trial influenced the preferences of consumers. Products that were initially preferred became less preferred after 14 days. The findings of this study challenge the validity of sensory evaluation test strategies that rely on single exposure testing to predict long term consumer preferences.

Research highlights► Repeated tasting of sports drinks with various acidulants caused hedonic adjustment. ► Subtle taste differences were noted after repeated exposure and influenced liking. ► Single exposure testing was insufficient to predict long term consumer preferences.