What if plant-based yogurts were like dairy yogurts? Texture perception and liking of plant-based yogurts among US and Finnish consumers

One of the biggest trends in the food industry is developing plant-based (PB) alternatives for dairy (D) products that mimic their counterparts. The prominent view is that these novel PB foods should represent conventional foods' visual, textural, and taste properties. In addition, consumer studies have demonstrated challenges in mimicking the texture properties, with PB yogurts having a thin and watery mouthfeel. This study aims to understand how much dairy-like properties contribute to the sensory and hedonic responses of PB and D yogurts among US and Finnish consumers. Thus, consumer studies were conducted in the US (n = 101) and Finland (n = 96) with consumers who regularly eat D yogurts and are willing to try PB yogurts. Six blueberry-flavored yogurts were blended in different plant-to-dairy ratios (PB:D%) and were labeled either as PB (plant-based) or D (dairy-based): 100:0 (PB), 75:25 (PB), 50:50 (PB), 50:50 (D), 25:75 (PB), and 0:100 (D). Different texture-related attributes were studied first by appearance and after tasting (i.e., mouthfeel) using the Rate-all-that-apply and Just-about-right methods. In addition, taste and flavor properties by Check-all-that-apply and the acceptance of the samples were evaluated on a 9-point hedonic scale. The same samples were equally liked in the US and Finland. Apparent differences were found between the samples, demonstrating that PB-labeled samples with higher D content were most liked. Interestingly, the PB-labeled yogurt (50:50) was more liked than the same yogurt labeled as D, indicating that consumers have different expectations towards PB and D yogurts. Creamy was found to be the main textural driver of liking among the PB-labeled yogurts. Although the results show that dairy-like characteristics are more liked in general, our results also demonstrate that young consumers and consumers who value sustainability when making food choices like PB yogurts with characteristics typical of PB yogurts.