Mane is taking a closer look at the sensory connections between aroma, taste and mouthfeel to develop more precise approaches to flavor modulation, particularly as manufacturers seek to reduce sugar without compromising consumer acceptance.
In its latest research initiative, part of the company's Precision Taste Modulation platform, Mane examined how reducing sugar in orange carbonated soft drinks affected consumer perception. The study involved 410 French consumers who regularly drink orange soda, evaluating products with progressively lower sugar levels for overall liking, sweetness, sourness and orange flavor intensity.
The findings challenged the assumption that sweetness would be the primary driver of acceptance. At the critical reduced-sugar level, insufficient orange flavor intensity had the greatest negative impact on overall liking. The research also found that acceptance remained relatively stable through moderate sugar reduction before declining at a lower sugar level.
The findings underscore the importance of understanding how sensory dimensions interact rather than addressing formulation changes in isolation. Reducing sugar, for example, can affect not only sweetness but also perceived flavor intensity, sourness and mouthfeel.
Mane's approach combines consumer research, sensory evaluation and investigation of aroma-taste relationships to identify where reformulation has altered the overall product experience. One area of investigation is aromatic congruence: how familiar aroma associations can influence the perception of basic tastes. In a separate low-sugar beverage study, Mane found that mango aroma increased perceived sweetness under specific conditions, with the effect depending on sucrose concentration.
The company's scientific process follows four steps: Identify sensory changes, test relevant aroma-taste relationships, read the consumer evidence and connect the findings to a targeted aromatic solution.
These capabilities feed into Mane's Sense Capture approach, through which flavorists select and combine taste-modulation solutions according to the specific sensory challenges of a product.
The research highlights an increasingly sophisticated approach to reformulation: rather than simply replacing the sensory contribution of a removed ingredient, flavor developers can investigate how the entire sensory experience shifts and use aromatic signals to help restore balance and consumer appeal.
