In this study, 10 popular commercial oat milk samples were analyzed for sensory quality and flavor chemistry using the Ideal Profile Method (IPM), electronic nose (E-nose), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Based on consumer cognitive mapping of ideal products, samples were classified into “Ideal-like” and “Ideal-exceeding” categories. Ideal-like products exhibited light white appearance, pronounced oatiness, moderate sweetness and burntness, and low graininess, presenting a balanced flavor profile, whereas Ideal-exceeding samples surpassed consumer expectations in sweetness or graininess intensity, delivering stronger sensory stimulation. Furthermore, sensory differentiation among categories primarily stemmed from synergistic effects of lipid oxidation levels (e.g., 3,5-octadien-2-one) and physical stability (fiber and protein content affecting particle size distribution). This classification framework reveals that ideal sensory quality can be achieved through diverse physicochemical pathways in commercial oat milk, providing theoretical guidance for product formulation optimization and quality standardization.
Jiang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.