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Influence of Oat β-Glucan Preparations on the Perception of Mouthfeel and on Rheological Properties in Beverage Prototypes

The aim was to study the effect of concentration and molecular weight of four different β-glucan preparations on the perceived sensory quality of a beverage prototype. The correlations between sensory and instrumental measures were investigated. Two of the preparations were brantype containing high molecular weight β-glucan, two were more-processed low molecular weight β-glucan preparations. Twelve beverage samples containing 0.25–2% β-glucan and one reference sample thickened with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were profiled by a sensory panel and analyzed by instrumental measurements (viscosity and molecular weight). Sensory profiles of the beverages varied at the same concentration of β-glucan, depending on β-glucan preparation. Beverages made with the bran-type preparations were more viscous and had higher perceived thickness than beverages made with more-processed, low molecular weight preparations. Moderate correlations were obtained between perceived thickness and sliminess and instrumental viscosity at all shear rates between 26 and 100/sec (r = 0.63–0.78; P ≤ 0.001). Technologically, more-processed β-glucan preparations are easier to add into a beverage in amounts sufficient for achieving a physiologically functional amount of β-glucan in a product.