Colour, rheology, flavour release and sensory perception of dairy desserts. Influence of thickener and fat content

•Starch and carboxymethyl cellulose as thickeners in dairy desserts were compared.•Flow is related with thickener type and viscoelasticity, with thickener concentration.•Aroma release was dependent of thickener, aroma compound and fat content.•Starch-based samples showed a higher aroma release and greater milk flavour intensity.•No differences on lemon flavour intensity were detected between thickeners.

This study aims to obtain information about how thickener type and concentration, and fat content influence colour, rheology, in-vivo aroma release and sensory characteristics of lemon-flavoured dairy desserts. Eight formulations were prepared varying in thickener type and concentration: carboxymethyl cellulose (1.1% and 1.3%) and modified starch (3.5% and 4.0%) and milk type (whole or skimmed). The amounts of the other ingredients were fixed. Regarding effects on colour and rheology, statistically significant interactions were detected between fat content, and thickener type and concentration. Colour was mainly affected by fat content; flow behaviour by thickener type, and viscoelasticity by thickener concentration. Thickener type and concentration and fat content significantly affected in-vivo aroma release. The delivery to the nasal cavity of the most lipophilic compound (linalool) mainly depended on fat content while thickener type and concentration mainly affected the release of the least lipophilic compound (cis-3-hexen-1-ol). Differences perceived in colour, texture and flavour attributes were also affected by variations in ingredients differently and most of them could be related with those observed in instrumental data.