Texture Matters: Linking Sensory Properties of Fruit Gum Candies to Consumer Acceptance.

The increasing popularity of plant-based diets and snacks has led to a growing variety of alternative foods, yet these often fail to meet sensory expectations, which is a decisive factor for food acceptance. The confectionery sector has recognized this dietary transition and developed tailored products to meet consumer demands. Despite the variety of plant-based confectioneries on the market, few studies have investigated these novel formulations for their sensory performance compared to their traditional counterparts, or how their sensory properties impact consumer acceptance. In this study, we selected fruit gum candies as a confectionery model to explore sensory perception and the modality-specific liking in relation to overall acceptance. In addition to taste, our consumer study (n = 147), comprising 12 commercial products including various formulations, revealed that texture is an equally important driver of overall liking for fruit gum candies. Chewy gelatine-based candies received the highest overall liking (mean ratings up to 7.3 on a nine-point hedonic scale). Higher stickiness in starch- or pectin-based candies decreased liking, while a harder texture improved the acceptance of products that used plant-based gelling agents. The acceptance of gelatine decreased with increasing hardness. Acceptance of starch- and pectin-based products decreased with consumer age by about 0.3-0.4 points per 10-year increase in age, while gelatine-based products maintained popularity. The present results highlight that texture, particularly hardness and stickiness, is an important driver of liking for fruit gum candies and provide a basis for optimizing plant-based alternatives to meet sensory expectations.