Improving Consumer Acceptance of Chokeberry Sauces with Dairy Association A Consumer Study in France

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Abstract: Polyphenols are widely recognized as health-promoting dietary compounds, yet their consumption is often limited by the intense astringency and bitterness they impart to foods and beverages. Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), one of the richest known dietary sources of polyphenols, exemplifies this challenge despite its exceptional nutritional profile, the sensory properties of chokeberry-based products remain largely unacceptable to consumers. Dairy proteins are known to bind polyphenolic compounds, particularly proanthocyanidins the key astringent agents in chokeberry which may facilitate the development of consumer-acceptable chokeberry products.This study aimed to determine whether pairing polyphenol-rich chokeberry sauces with a dairy product could increase their consumer acceptability. Four flavoured chokeberry sauce variants (vanilla, lemon, peppermint, and spicy) were evaluated alone and in combination with fromage blanc, a dairy product widely consumed in France, similar to cottage cheese.Consumer tests were conducted in a central location test with 100 respondents. Overall liking was rated on a 9-point hedonic scale, and data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA (sauce variant × serving condition). When tasted alone, all four sauces received low acceptance scores, with peppermint rated highest and vanilla and spicy rated lowest. Pairing with fromage blanc significantly increased overall liking for all variants. Vanilla with fromage blanc achieved the highest acceptance, followed by lemon, peppermint, and spicy. The greatest improvement was observed for vanilla, the variant with the lowest score when tested alone. The improved acceptability when combined with a dairy carrier may be attributed to casein– polyphenol interactions, although it cannot be excluded that the carrier itself enhancesacceptance of a product not typically consumed on its own. Further studies employing different carriers are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanism and confirm whether the observed improvement is specifically related to casein–polyphenol interactions.

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