Experimental design, sensorial and principal components analysis: Three complementary tools for cocktail optimization

Abstract

Ten cocktails containing rum, coca cola®, and lemon juice were formulated according to a mixture design, and were hedonistically rated on a nonstructured scale by a panel of 46 testers. Averaged scores have been correctly fitted by a quadratic polynomial and the optimum composition of the cocktail has been located thanks to the isoresponse curves. The principal components analysis of the results led to a first axis that separates subjects based on their rum/lemon preferences, whereas the two following axes, the third in particular, distinguish the subjects who appreciate cocktails with high ratio of coca cola® from those who deslike them.