Findings from WP3 of the LIKE A PRO project: From Bitter to Better: Sensory-Guided Development of Protein-Enriched Smoothies

There is a growing market for sustainable food sources and enriched products. This has accelerated the development of food items containing alternative protein ingredients. Successful market introduction relies on thorough knowledge, strategic adjustments, and effective masking of the proteins’ sensory characteristics. A sensory description of these proteins provides essential insights that support and guide product development. Seven protein ingredients produced within the LIKE A PRO consortium were evaluated by a trained sensory panel. All samples were prepared as 10% solutions prior to tasting.A language session was first held to establish common descriptors, resulting in a set of twelve characteristics. These were used in a Generic Descriptive Analysis (GDA) to compare the sensory profiles of the proteins, rated on a 1–9 intensity scale. The different alternative protein ingredients presented different sensory challenges like bitter taste, floury mouthfeel, nonhomogeneous composition, presence of particles and altered colour appearances. Based on the sensory results three alternative protein ingredients (rapeseed, fava bean and microbial), which were best suited to incorporation into fruit smoothie recipes, were selected for smoothie development.