11-10

M. E. CAMIRE, Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, University of Maine, 5736 Holmes Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5736 and C. Hulné, Ecole National Supérieue Agronomique, Montpelier, France.

Consumer interest in functional foods and alternative medicine has spurred development of food products containing ingredients for which no dietary requirement has been established. While research is underway to validate the health benefits of botanicals, relatively little is known about the effects of these materials on food quality. The bitter taste of many botanicals could adversely impact consumer acceptance of food products to which they are added.

Our objectives were to mask the taste of botanical extracts in fruit-juice products and to compare effects among popular botanicals.

Three commercial beverages--Tropicana Pure Premium pasteurized orange juice, Ocean Spray cranberry cocktail, and Florida's Natural ruby red grapefruit juice--were purchased locally. DRACO Natural Products, Inc., provided spray-dried extracts of gingko biloba, Siberian ginseng, Panax ginseng, and St. John's wort. Color, viscosity, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, and total phenolics (using the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent) were measured on combinations of each beverage with each botanical at concentrations of 0.2, 0.6, and 1.2 g/L. Eight triangle tests were conducted using 14-24 volunteers. Each herb was tested on separate days in each beverage; concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 g/L were used for gingko, Siberian ginseng, and St. John's wort. Ginseng was tested at concentrations of 1.0 and 1.2 g/L. 80 persons used a nine-point hedonic scale to indicate acceptability of orange juice-botanicals blends.

Botanicals varied in the effect on chemical and physical properties. Only ginseng was not detected in the blends at either level. The highest hedonic scores were given to the control, but consumer did not dislike the blends.

Naturally bitter foods may not adequately mask the taste of novel botanicals. However, consumer knowledge or belief in the health benefits of botanicals may be more important than taste in determining acceptability.