The aim of this work was to determine the sensory profile and stability of a new ready-to-drink passion fruit juice beverage sweetened with different sweetener systems: sucrose, aspartame, sucralose and an aspartame/acesulfame-K blend (4:1), during six months of storage. Samples of each beverage were stored at room temperature and under refrigeration, and were evaluated at 0, 60, 120 and 180 days of storage. Descriptive sensory profiles and the stability of the beverages were determined using a trained panel (n=8). The sweetener type played a very important role in the perception of color, sweet taste, sweet aftertaste and sour aftertaste. The beverages sweetened with sucrose and sucralose were the most stable with respect to those characteristics. In the beverages containing aspartame, on the other hand, the intensities of those descriptors were only preserved if stored under refrigerat...

Food irradiation remains underutilized in Brazil, despite the approval and regulation of the official health authority since 1973. However, consumers risk perception, mostly due to lack of information about the technology, seem to be the main barrier to the adoption of food irradiation by the Brazilian industries, like in other countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of information on the acceptance and purchase intention of minimally processed and irradiated organic watercress (Nasturtium officinale). Consumers (N=236) participating in the sensory acceptance test were divided into four experimental groups according to an experimental design which combined presence or absence of information about the food irradiation process – main characteristics, benefits to food safety and preservation, cost-benefit and environmental issues - and identification or not of the i...