A size exclusion HPLC method for evaluating the individual impacts of sugars and organic acids on beverage global taste by means of calculated dose-over-threshold values
FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) and FEDER
(Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) under Program COMPETE (Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade) (Project PEst-C/EQB/LA0020/2013); by the Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and by Project Reference RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (Project Number FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462)
In this work, the main organic acids (citric, malic and ascorbic acids) and sugars
(glucose, fructose and sucrose) present in commercial fruit beverages (fruit carbonated
soft-drinks, fruit nectars and fruit juices) were determined. A novel size exclusion high
performance liquid chromatography isocratic green method, with ultraviolet and refractive
index detectors coupled in series, was developed. This methodology enabled the
simultaneous quantification of sugars and organic acids without any sample pre-treatment,
even when peak interferences occurred. The method was in-house validated, showing a good
linearity (R > 0.999), adequate detection and quantification limits (20 and 280 mg L−1,
respectively), satisfactory instrumental and method precisions (relative standard deviations lower than 6%) and acceptable method accuracy (relative error lower than 5%). Sugars and
organic acids profiles were used to calculate dose-over-threshold values, aiming to evaluate
their individual sensory impact on beverage global taste perception. The results
demonstrated that sucrose, fructose, ascorbic acid, citric acid and malic acid have the greater
individual sensory impact in the overall taste of a specific beverage. Furthermore, although
organic acids were present in lower concentrations than sugars, their taste influence was
significant and, in some cases, higher than the sugars’ contribution towards the global
sensory perception.
