A flavoromics approach to investigate the effect of Saskatoon berry powder on the sensory attributes, acceptability, volatile components, and electronic nose responses of a low-fat frozen yogurt

Descriptive analysis of the two yogurt formulations by 11 participants determined that SBY was higher in berry aroma, berry flavor, and sweetness, and lower in cream aroma, dairy aroma, and sourness compared to PY. SBY was lower in iciness and degree of smoothness and higher in viscosity and mouth coating compared to PY. Untrained participants (<i>n</i> = 112), found no significant differences in color, flavor, and overall acceptability between SBY and PY. However, SBY was significantly less acceptable than PY for texture and aroma. Iciness was the most influential variable related to texture acceptability. For aroma acceptability, berry flavor (negatively related) and berry aroma (positively related) were the most influential attributes. The exposure of Saskatoon berry powder (SBP), PY, and SBY to e-nose sensors showed consistencies in replicate analysis (<i>n</i> = 25 measurements/sample), and cross validation of the PCA showed that the model could sort samples into the correct class with 98.7% accuracy. Key volatile organic compounds (VOCs) responsible for berry and fruity aroma in SBP were also found to be retained in the SBY. Several key phenolic compounds with therapeutic effects such as baicalein, chlorogenate, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, and syringic acid were also identified in both SBP and SBY samples, potentially indicating that the SBY may retain some of the health benefits associated with the consumption of raw Saskatoon berries.