Characterizing milk aftertaste: The effects of salivation rate, PROP taster status, or small changes in acidity, fat, or sucrose on acceptability of milk to milk dislikers

Our objectives were to examine the relationship of aftertaste to milk disliking, characterize the aftertaste, examine several changes in milk (decreased pH, increased fat level, addition of sucrose, presence of light-induced oxidation) for their ability to alter the intensity/persistence of aftertastes, and determine whether people who dislike milk because of its aftertaste differ from milk likers in the amount they salivate or in their 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) taster status. We conducted focus groups with people who disliked milk. A descriptive analysis panel characterized the aftertaste of milk. Milk dislikers participated in a hedonic test of several altered milk samples and in a PROP taster test. Changes in the milks affected the aftertaste, but did not significantly affect hedonic ratings. PROP taster status of milk dislikers was dissimilar to the distributions reported for the United States population, with greater-than-expected numbers of PROP-sensitive individuals. Milk dislikers salivated relatively more in response to milk than did milk likers.