MULTI-SENSORY DESIGN OF DESSERTS: INTEGRATION OF TEXTURE, COLOR, AND AROMA AS A FACTOR IN SHAPING THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31548/humanhealth.2.2026.97Keywords:
organoleptic assessment, hedonic value, taste perception, visual cues, eating behavior, food development, sensory positioningAbstract
Desserts are food products with a high density of sensory cues, where consumer acceptance is shaped not only by taste but also by texture, colour, aroma, temperature, layer contrast and the temporal dynamics of sensations during consumption. Modern research on multisensory perception shows that visual, olfactory, and oral-somatosensory cues can modify expectations, taste intensity, aroma expression, and hedonic evaluation.
The purpose of the article is to develop a scientifically grounded model of multisensory dessert design that integrates texture, colour and aroma as interconnected technological factors in shaping consumer experience.
The study is designed as technological modeling based on contemporary international research in sensory analysis, crossmodal perception, and food technology, crossmodal correspondences, texture-taste-aroma interactions, and dessert systems. Systems analysis, formulation and technological design, matrix modeling, normalization of desirability functions, and construction of a multisensory congruence index are used.
A conceptual model of dessert as a multicomponent sensory system is proposed. Texture determines oral dynamics and eating tempo, colour shapes expectations of taste and intensity, and aroma modulates perceived sweetness, freshness and complexity. A matrix of dessert prototypes with different levels of textural contrast, colour-aroma congruence and aroma intensity is developed. A multisensory congruence index is proposed, incorporating textural balance, colour-taste correspondence, aroma congruence, temporal evolution of sensations and technological reproducibility. The scientific novelty lies in the transition from descriptive use of colour, texture and aroma in desserts to their integrated technological design as controllable factors of consumer experience.
Received: March 11, 2026; Accepted: May 29, 2026; Published: June 22, 2026.
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