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Investigates the effects of ingredients and processing procedure on colour and appearance properties of chilled dairy dessert products, namely mousse. Chilled mousse products were formulated via a factorial design involving several ingredients and processing factors. Sixteen formulated dairy dessert mousses were presented to a trained sensory panel. A screening experiment was carried via a fractional factorial design involving eight factors at two levels. The effects were examined by means of graphical half normal plots using the software Design Ease (Stat‐Ease Inc., USA). Five factors were identified as being the more significant factors which were cream level (CRE), mix time (MIX), blue (BLU), yellow (YEL) and red (RED) colouring agent levels. A further full factorial formulation design was carried out involving four factors: CRE, MIX, BLU, RYR (ratio of red to yellow additive) in a series of sensory perception experiments. Results verified by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that it was the level of cream and colouring agents that were the most significant factors (p<0.001) affecting colour and appearance aspects of chilled mousse.

Discusses the role appearance plays in influencing consumer perception and subsequent acceptance of a food product. Texture and flavour have long since been known to exert an effect on consumer perception. However, the “first taste is almost always with the eye”. This is especially the case where a food product is sold through its appearance, rather than through its packaging. In addition, appearance can have a halo effect which modifies subsequent flavour perception and food acceptability. The article also briefly discusses the many factors that affect the perception process and the significance of food product development in the food industry.

This study aimed to examine in detail the underlying factors which affect visual texture perception based on existing sensory methodology. The visual properties of dairy dessert samples were manipulated via a full factorial design, with four factors, screened from a fractional design of eight factors. Fifteen assessors, trained solely in visual profiling based on the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA)1 method, analysed 16 formulations of mousse dessert products over ten visual texture attributes. The visual profile data were examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis (PCA) and generalised Procrustes analysis (GPA) methods. ANOVA results showed that cream levels significantly affected all the visual textures (p < 0.05). It was also found that levels of blue colourant significantly affected the perception of creaminess (p < 0.05). The results suggest the possibilities of food formulators producing detectable variation in visual texture parameters which may subsequently affect quality perception in chilled dairy dessert products.