Sensory and rheological characterization of acidified milk drinks

A set of 17 acidified milk drinks (AMDs), of which eight were drinking yoghurts (made by dilution of a yoghurt base) with 3–8% milk solids non-fat (MSNF) and the remainder milk–juice drinks (made from fruit concentrate and reconstituted milk powder) with 3% MSNF, were submitted to descriptive sensory analysis and rheological characterization. The drinks were stabilized with pectin and/or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (0–0.5%). The sensorially perceived Creaminess was found to depend linearly on Oral viscosity whereas the relationship between Creaminess and Smoothness depended on the level of MSNF. Drinking yoghurt stabilized using pectin were found to be shear thinning whereas pectin-stabilized milk–juice drinks as well as either category of AMD stablilized by CMC were found approximately close to Newtonian behaviour. Viscometry data in the form of consistency index K could only predict sensory viscosity moderately well (r=0.70); in particular, for pectin-stabilized samples with 3% MSNF, the correlation was very poor (r=−0.15).