ABSTRACT Precision control of sweet–sour interactions is pivotal for reduced‐sugar design across formats. This work quantified psychophysical functions for xylitol, erythritol, and sorbitol with citric or malic acid in liquids and tablet candies using gLMS concentration‐intensity and time‐intensity methods. In liquids, subthreshold ratings clustered near barely detectable, while suprathreshold relations followed Stevens' power law; exponents declined at extreme levels, indicating saturation. Tablets preserved power‐law scaling yet exhibited > 79% higher acid exponents than liquids, producing steeper sourness growth; in erythritol and sorbitol, malic exceeded citric by > 21%, whereas exponents were ~1 and comparable in xylitol. TI results showed bidirectional suppression: acids lowered sweetness ( I max , AUC), with xylitol displaying compressed onset‐decay‐persistence; sugar alcohols attenuated sourness, with malic less inhibited than citric. These parameters enable predictable, matrix‐specific tuning to preserve sweetness, prevent sourness spikes, and support evidence‐based formulation for consumer acceptance, regulatory sugar targets, shelf‐life stability, and scalability.
Liu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.
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