How a Spanish Group of Millennial Generation Perceives the Commercial Novel Smoothies?

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) constantly emphasize the importance of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption; these natural products help in the prevention of major diseases. Smoothies are a simple and convenient way of doing so; thus, their demand is constantly growing and their market is becoming important for the food industry. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine Millennial consumer opinion towards novel fruit- and vegetable-smoothies available on the retail market. Napping®, descriptive sensory analysis, and consumer studies were conducted. Napping® results group samples into four clusters of smoothies; the main grouping factor was the type of fruit and the percentage of vegetables. Penalty analysis showed that smoothies need improvement mainly dealing with sweetness, bitterness, and vegetable flavors. Millennial consumers formed a homogeneous sensory group in which the overall liking was negatively correlated with the level of sweetness, and earthy, carrot, beetroot, and pear flavors. The key liking drivers were sourness and notes of mango, banana, and peach flavors. This research is a new insight into the perception of smoothies, provides comprehensive knowledge for the food industry, and can guide the design of new healthy smoothies.


Introduction
Fruits and vegetables intake is highly recommended and necessary in a healthy diet due to their important nutrients and bioactive constituents (phenolic compounds, vitamin C, anthocyanins, among others) that was demonstrated in several studies to diminish the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases [1]. The Mediterranean diet, which has been widely studied regarding its effect on the prevention of diabetes and low-density lipoprotein oxidation, includes fruits and vegetables (tomato, broccoli, carrot, etc.) with high content of phytochemicals (carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamins, foliates, minerals, etc.) [2]. Nutritional recommendations point to the consumption of fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced diet, although with a reduction in the consumption of juices and smoothies due to the possible excessive supply of energy from sugars. In addition, these products preferences. Several studies about smoothies used sensory descriptive analysis to characterize them. For instance, a recent study of different cultivars of pomegranate indicated that the smoothies prepared with Mollar de Elche pomegranate juice were characterized by having high intensity of pear odor/aroma and consistency, and the Wonderful smoothies were characterized by lower consistency and more intense pomegranate aroma and sourness [17]. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine a Spanish group of Millennial consumers preference towards novel fruit and vegetable smoothies available on the retail market. Napping ® , descriptive sensory analysis, and consumer studies were conducted. The research will provide a new insight into the perception of smoothie products and comprehensive knowledge for the food industry and can guide the design of new foods, including functional and healthy fruit-based products.

Experimental Design
The research consisted of two parts:

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In the first part of the study (session 1), a Napping ® test was conducted focusing on the smell and taste of the 14 fruit-and vegetable-based smoothies; 100 consumers participated in this session. The objective of this part was to narrow down the selection of samples for second part of the study.

•
In the second part of the study, a descriptive sensory evaluation by a trained panel and a consumer study (session 2) was conducted using only randomly selected smoothies by researchers, representing the clusters shown in the napping study. The consumers panelist for consumer study was the same people as the Napping test. The objective of this part was to know the consumer's liking drivers of types of smoothies (clusters).
With this design, the number of smoothie products in the first stage was 14, while in the second one, 4 samples were used. Two weeks passed between Session 1 and Session 2, data collection and statistic were needed before Session 2 for the selection of the appropriated sample of each detected cluster.
The sensory tests were carried out in a special tasting room with individual booths (controlled temperature of 21 ± 1 • C and combined natural/artificial light), and ballot charts were used to collect panelists' evaluations. The samples were presented according to a randomized block design to avoid biases. Samples were served chilled at 4 • C into odor-free, disposable 90 mL covered plastic cups, at room temperature and were coded using 3-digit numbers. In each vessel, 40 mL was added in all sensory tests carried out. Trained panelists and consumers were instructed to drink the served portion of the sample for doing descriptive sensory analysis, Napping test, and consumer study, respectively. Unsalted crackers and water were provided to panelists to clean their palates between samples.
All panelists (descriptive test) and consumers (Napping and affective tests) gave their informed consent for inclusion before they participated in the study. Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche automatically exempts "general taste tests", including descriptive sensory tests from needing ethical approval, based on European Union guidelines. However, the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Escuela Politécnica Superior de Orihuela, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche.

Smoothie Samples
Fruit-and vegetable-based smoothies were purchased on the retail market (supermarkets and grocery stores) in the province of Alicante (Spain) in 2018. The products were stored in their original unit packets under refrigerated conditions (as indicated on packaging: 4 • C) until analysis. Each smoothie came from 1 batch, and the general sample destined for analysis consisted of 4 primary samples. The compositions of smoothies declared by the producers are given in Table 1.

Consumer Information
A Spanish group of Millennial consumers (n = 100) were recruited among the students of Pharmacy Degree at the Miguel Hernández University (UMH). The ages ranged from 20 to 35 years old (born between 1985 and 1999), being 56% females and 44% males. First, they participated in the napping test (session 1) and later in a consumer study with the 4 selected smoothies (session 2).

Napping ® Technique
Napping ® is a relatively new and rapid sensory profiling technique based on positioning products on a paper sheet (from French "nappe"-tablecloth) to collect sensory distance perceives among products. Data are processed using multivariate techniques such as Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA) and Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA). Finally, a Napping ® test creates sample clusters according to their specific organoleptic attributes and the own definitions given by the panelists.
The napping test was performed focusing on the flavor of the 14 fruit-and vegetable-based smoothies in session 1. Explanations on how to perform the test was provided to participants at the beginning. Each consumer was provided with a 60 cm × 40 cm blank paper, which was approximately A2 size (the napping sheet), a pen and a tray with the 14 samples. The sample order on the individual trays was randomized to avoid the effect of order of presentation and the carryover effect of a preceding sample over a series [19], even though the napping methodology allows and requires subjects to go back and forth among samples. Samples were coded with 3-digit random numbers.
Consumers were instructed to evaluate samples according to similarities or dissimilarities in flavor attributes by placing similar samples close to each other and more dissimilar samples further apart on the napping sheet. They were asked to complete the task using their own criteria and they were told that there were no right or wrong answers. After they had reached a final configuration, consumers wrote down appropriate descriptors for flavor notes of the samples, which were moved around the napping sheet, when needed. This procedure is known as ultra-flash profiling and is commonly used to add a descriptive dimension to a napping task [20]. When all the samples had been placed on the paper, they replaced samples with an X and noted the sample codes and the smoothie descriptors next to the X. Re-tastings and spitting out the smoothies were allowed. Water and crackers were used as palate cleansers.
From the 4 clusters generated in this part of the study, 1 representative model smoothie of each cluster was selected for the second part of this research (session 2).

Descriptive Sensory Analysis
Eight trained panelists (aged 25 to 55 years; 4 females and 4 males) with more than 600 h of training in sensory testing from the department of Agro-Food Technology (UMH) participated in this study. The panel was selected and trained following the ISO standard 8586-1 (1993), and it is specialized in descriptive sensory evaluation of fruit products [17,[21][22][23]. For the present study, the panel worked during 2 orientation sessions (90 min for each one) discussing the main organoleptic characteristics of commercial smoothies. The lexicon used was based on the previous ones developed by other authors [17,22,[24][25][26][27] (Table 2). Lexicons were adapted for smoothies during the orientation sessions. Samples were assessed using sensory attributes of basic tastes, flavor notes and texture and somatic sensations (n = 22), and the order process was (i) flavor notes, (ii) basic tastes, and (iii) texture and somatic sensations. References were chosen and prepared according to previous publications using similar attributes [17,22,[24][25][26][27], and then provided to panelists. The scale to be used was range from 0 (no intensity) to 10 (extremely high intensity) with 0.5 increments. The damp, musty/earthy, slightly sweet aromatics commonly associated with canned/cooked beets Diluted kroger canned beet juice (1: The aromatics commonly associated with canned, cooked carrots Del monte sliced canned carrots = 7.0 [26] Citric Volatile compounds associated with lemon or lime Fresh-squeezed orange juice = 8 Fresh-squeezed orange juice diluted 1:1 = 4 [22] Earthy Musty, somewhat sweet, full aromatics commonly associated with decaying vegetative matter and damp black soil Geosmin (4,000 ppm) = 9.0 [27] Green-vinery Green, fresh aromatics associated with green vegetables and newly cut vines and stems; related to cucumber

Consumer Studies
The consumer study was carried out in the tasting rooms of UMH. Each consumer tasted all 4 selected samples in a single session (session 2). Consumers were asked about their overall liking on a nine-point hedonic scale (1 =dislike extremely, 5 = neither like nor dislike, and 9 = like extremely) followed by questions about the appearance, flavor, and texture attributes. Additionally, a nine-point scale was used for the Just About Right (JAR) questions (1, 2, and 3 mean deficit of each attribute, too low in Penalty Analysis; 4, 5 and 6 mean "Just About Right", JAR in Penalty Analysis; and, 7, 8 and 9 mean excess, too high in Penalty Analysis) to determine possible improvements of the attributes: color, bitterness, sourness, sweetness, fruity, vegetal, and viscosity. These results provide direction of improving, but it does not provide information on degree of intensity change and ingredients adjustment.

Statistical Analysis
Two consecutive tests were performed: (i) one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and (ii) Tukey's multiple range test. Homogenous groups and the least significant difference (LSD) were determined at a significance level of p < 0.05 (95% of confidence level). Data were subjected to ANOVA, after checking the normality and homogeneity of the variance, and later to Tukey's multiple-range test to compare the means. Overall, liking data (y: dependent variable) versus descriptive sensory analysis (x: independent variables) were used to perform partial least squares regression (PLS). In addition, penalty analysis was conducted to provide extra information about the possible improvements of some samples. All statistical analyses were performed using StatGraphics Plus 5.0 software (The Plains, VA, USA) except Napping, Penalty Analysis, PLS, and dendrogram were prepared using XLSTAT Premium 2016 software (2016, París, Frane).

Results of Napping ®
Appearance, including the color and texture of fruits-based drinks, is the first quality parameter evaluated by consumers and is a key tool for product selection and, then, acceptance or rejection. However, taste is more strongly correlated with the overall assessment of products and is the most relevant acceptability feature used by consumers to evaluate fruit and vegetable products [1,28]. Therefore, in the napping ® test, consumers evaluated only "flavor" attributes of 14 smoothies. The terms and their frequencies of mentions for each sample (Table 3) were added as supplementary variable in the Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA). The terms were, thus, not included in the construction of the MFA factors but projected in the product space [19].
Consumers described the taste and aroma (perception of volatile compounds with the product within the mouth) using a total of 34 different sensory descriptors. Each of the smoothies was described with an average of 310 terms (average of number of terms of each smoothie, see Table 3) which were used and repeated by consumers depending on the product. Nevertheless, the most frequently used terms were fruity, citric, tropical fruit, sweetness, and sourness (from 273 to 382 repetitions for each of these terms for the 100 consumers). The average number of mentions of these attributes per product was above 20. The terms caramel, artificial, persistent, unpleasant, aromatic, unknown, and soft were used with a lower frequency (maximum 36 repetitions of these terms in whole task).
The terms sweetness, chalkiness, grainy, viscosity, dense, and aromatic were common to smoothies from Groups 3 and 4. Moreover, a clear differentiation among fruit smoothies and vegetable smoothies was found. The use of vegetable ingredients, such as carrot, beetroot, pumpkin, celery, cucumber, spinach, and kale, in a total amount of 31% to 33% for smoothies I, E, K, and M influenced the clearly perceptible vegetable, earthy, herbal, and astringency flavors, as well as spicy except for smoothie I. Terms for these vegetable smoothies were also associated with aftertaste, cooked notes, unknown and unpleasant flavors. As for cooked notes, it can be said that mild-heat treatment should have been applied during the smoothie processing as pasteurization (stored at refrigeration temperature), and could be the reason this flavor was detected by consumers.
Smoothies A and B were defined as dense, which could result not from the fruit and vegetable composition but from the presence of citric fiber with high water holding capacity and apparent viscosity. At this stage, the napping ® test showed no difference among sensory perception of smoothies with conventional and organic fruits and vegetables.
Finally, four smoothies representing each of these four clusters created by consumers in the Napping ® task were subjected to descriptive sensory analysis and consumer study (session 2) to obtained the improvements needed and the buying drivers: group 1: smoothie E, group 2: smoothie G, group 3: smoothie B, and group 4: smoothie D.

Descriptive Sensory Analysis
Napping ® itself does not characterize products; thus, there is a need of a descriptive method to get a full profile of the products [19]. Descriptive sensory analysis was carried out to assess the sensory profile of commercial smoothies and to check significant differences among the four groups; the main differences are shown in Table 4.
The study showed variability in the intensity of the main sensory descriptors. The sweetness of the smoothies was relatively low (maximum 4.5 points), and it can be observed that D samples was significantly higher than G and E samples. Smoothies B and G had the highest sour score (8.0 and 7.5, respectively). The presence of tropical fruits (mango, banana) was linked with higher scores of sweetness, while orange, pineapple, and berries with a higher intensity of sour taste. The results were in line with research on smoothies by other authors [29], where strawberries were linked with a sour flavor, and banana pulp with a high sweetness perception.
Product B, besides being sour, was characterized by the highest bitter notes and the longest aftertaste. Bitter notes were significantly lower in other smoothies and did not differ statistically (p > 0.05). A high value of aftertaste was also found in sample E, being both based on vegetable ingredients.
The detailed taste was determined based on descriptors of direct flavor of specific fruits and vegetables. Thus, the flavor of smoothie E with carrot (17%) and beet purees (14.5%) was defined as the highest scores of beetroot, earthy, and carrot (8.0, 9.0, and 6.0, respectively). The taste of this product was the most complex and described by seven attributes. Only this smoothie defined with low pear flavor notes. Smoothie B was described with only two flavor attributes, as orange and carrot, with the predominance of the first (scores 6.5 and 3.5, respectively).
In the smoothie G, only 7% aloe vera puree caused a medium intense flavor of this plant (score 5.0) and a slightly perceptible green-vinery hint. Additionally, low values of apple, orange, and citric flavors were detected. In product D, flavors in the decreasing intensity were mango > passion fruit > peach > apple and orange> banana were observed. The intensity of apple flavor reached up to 2.0, despite its 57% in the studied smoothies. Thus, apple seems to be a good base for creating and modulating flavor bouquets and as a carrier of ingredient flavors in fruit and vegetable smoothies without masking the minor ingredients. In other studies, apple improved the sensory acceptance of smoothies [15,18]. Table 4. Descriptive sensory analysis of the selected commercial smoothies. The scale was range from 0 (no intensity) to 10 (extremely high intensity) with 0.5 increments. Commercial smoothies were not characterized by high values of the texture and somatic sensations attributes. Lumpiness was found only for smoothie B, and, in turn, tooth etch only for smoothie G. Pulpy residue and viscosity were higher in product B than the other smoothies. The evaluation of these attributes should consider not only the raw materials but also fineness/particle size (juice, puree, pulp, chopped pieces) and processing (cold, heat and enzymatic treatment).

Hedonic Rating
Mean scores for liking of color, appearance, flavor notes (fruity, vegetal), basic tastes (sweetness, sourness), viscosity and overall liking of samples for a Spanish group of Millennial consumers are shown in Table 5.
In general, not all selected smoothies were considered acceptable, and can be ranked in decreasing order of overall liking D ≈ G > B > E, although smoothies D and G received the highest scores (6.4 and 5.6 points, respectively). For these products, the highest scores were found for fruity notes, sweetness, and sourness, which in turn were linked with the presence of mango, orange, banana, berries, passion fruit, and peach.
Clearly earthy flavors (e.g., beetroot and carrot) were not accepted by consumers. Therefore, smoothie E was rated overall very disliked (score 2.1), which resulted from low ratings for flavor notes and basic taste (below 4.5). Table 5. Mean scores and ANOVA for liking degree of a Spanish group of Millennial consumers for color, appearance, flavor notes (fruity, vegetal), basic tastes (sweetness, sourness), viscosity and overall liking of selected commercial smoothies. Color and appearance liking values were rated as the highest for smoothies E, B, and G. Fruit flavors were more liked than vegetables, and smoothie D was the best rated (score 7.0). However, no significant differences were found in the acceptance of vegetable flavors and bitterness (scores above 5.0), except for smoothie E (both attributes defined as dislike slightly). Sweetness and acidity were most liked in smoothie D. Furthermore, viscosity did not have a strong impact on the overall rating of the smoothies. This attribute was ranged between 2.4 (smoothie B previously defined as thick) to 6.3 (smoothies G).

Attribute
Although previous studies examined consumer preferences for various fruits and vegetables for juices and smoothies, their results cannot be used directly as a reference to this paper. In this way, the sensory evaluation of smoothies was closely related to the set of products tasted, the profile of consumers, and their nutritional knowledge, economic and cultural factors, and others [30,31]. Literature data, however, indicates some recurring trends, which are also reflected in this study. Consumer preferences strongly correlate with the sensation of sweetness, intense fruit flavors (orange and tropical fruits), and balanced sweet and sour tastes [32][33][34].

Penalty Analysis (PA)
In addition to the overall liking and the satisfaction degree for color, appearance, flavor notes, basic tastes, and viscosity, Just About Right (JAR) questions were asked during the consumer study among Spanish Millennial consumers under study, for all attributes except appearance and overall liking. The questions were done to determine levels of adequacy and identify possible improvements to these specific attributes in four selected smoothies. For better understanding of the relationships between JAR results and consumer acceptance, Penalty Analysis was conducted. "Too low" intensity of attributes was indicated by the symbol "−", and "too high" intensity by the symbol "+" (Figure 2). Critical corners were set to highlight attributes with the greatest negative impact on liking. The attributes impacting 20% of Millennial consumers under study and causing a drop of at least one point were included in the critical corners.
Specific food products are related to particular color attributes. Colors that diverge from these preferences for the product suggest a lack of ripeness or loss of freshness and may reduce consumer desire [34]. Smoothies were not penalized for the color. However, it was noted that smoothies with carrot, beet, pumpkin, and berries, containing high content of natural pigments (carotenoids and anthocyanins) were better rated in terms of color. The intensity of the fruity flavor needed improvement in product E, for which at the same time the vegetal taste was too intense. Interestingly, despite the low acceptance of vegetable smoothies, Millennial consumers under study rated the flavors of product D as not vegetal enough. Smoothies, except for D, need a sweetness improvement. In turn, the sour taste should be corrected in smoothie G. The blend of orange and berries caused too intense feelings of sourness and bitterness, in contrast to root vegetable combinations. Too high viscosity was determined for smoothie D. In summary, the color intensity and perception of the fruity taste were the best rated. It is essential to highlight that fruity notes were clearly driving liking as in the following section. This tendency does not occur in all fruit-based products. For instance, in pomegranate-based jelly, fruit notes were not a good driver, with color and brightness being the most important drivers [21], but, in pomegranate dried products, both fruity and color attributes were part of the consumer drivers [23]. Four of the seven sensory attributes were found to be improvable in smoothie E, a model of the group 1 cluster. "too low intensity" is indicated by the symbol "−", and "too high intensity" is indicated by the symbol "+").

Driving Sensory Attributes
Partial least squares regression (PLS) analysis was conducted to determine the liking drivers for the selected commercial smoothies. Figure 3 shows the consumer overall liking and the relationship with specific sensory descriptors (contained in Table 3).
The preference map revealed one large group of consumers grouped near mango, peach, and banana flavors. Similar results were obtained previously [35][36][37] in the analysis of smoothies, where blends of papaya, mango, and pineapple as well as mango and grape were highly desired by panelists. However, contrary to their results, a combination of banana with fruits with high acidity were clearly accepted by Millennial consumers.
The current study showed that the lowest acceptance of smoothies was associated with earthy, carrot, beetroot, and pear flavors.
Considering the basic tastes, sour was the main liking driver, while sweet, bitter, and aftertaste seemed to be less important. These results were in line with the penalty analysis data, in which sweetness and bitterness required correction. Interestingly, previous studies on fresh fruits, including pineapples [37], strawberries [38], nectarines and peaches [32], and apples [30,39] showed sweetness as a positive attribute, often even as the main sensory preference driver. Other research into fruit products such as oranges juice [33], pear fruit leather [40], dried pomegranate arils [23], as well as "too low intensity" is indicated by the symbol "−", and "too high intensity" is indicated by the symbol "+").

Driving Sensory Attributes
Partial least squares regression (PLS) analysis was conducted to determine the liking drivers for the selected commercial smoothies. Figure 3 shows the consumer overall liking and the relationship with specific sensory descriptors (contained in Table 3).
The preference map revealed one large group of consumers grouped near mango, peach, and banana flavors. Similar results were obtained previously [35][36][37] in the analysis of smoothies, where blends of papaya, mango, and pineapple as well as mango and grape were highly desired by panelists. However, contrary to their results, a combination of banana with fruits with high acidity were clearly accepted by Millennial consumers.
The current study showed that the lowest acceptance of smoothies was associated with earthy, carrot, beetroot, and pear flavors. Lumpiness, viscosity, and pulpy were not appreciated by Millennial consumers under study. Forde and Delahunty [31] proved that young panelists can be strongly influenced by the predominant chemosensory attributes such as taste and aroma level [31], while older assessors placed more emphasis on the mouthfeel and irritant properties. Moreover, the homogeneity of the sample is preferred by younger consumers as compared to older ones; this situation was observed in the current study. Therefore, it should be emphasized that the main liking drivers for consumers of smoothies are sourness and tropical fruit flavors, and earthy and heterogeneous textures must be avoided.

Conclusions
This research evaluated sensory properties of commercial smoothies and identified liking drivers among the Spanish group of Millennial consumers under study. At the beginning of this conclusion, it is worth mentioning the limitation of this research to help and to make future research better. The sample size of consumers is one of the most important limitations observed, and the number of consumers should be higher to reach the global Millennial generation. It is also important to highlight the potential interactions based on the flavor and basic tastes that can occur; therefore, samples with specific flavor (e.g., mango) could be scored sweetener by consumers (never by trained panel) due to their expectations.
Descriptive sensory analysis and consumer studies preceded by the napping ® test seem to be an appropriate combination to optimize the formulation of novel fruit-and vegetable-smoothies. It was found that the key attributes controlling overall liking were: adequate intensity of sour taste and notes of mango, banana, and peach. Nevertheless, it should strive to improve recipes of smoothies to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in this form, which is considered a simple supplement in a balanced diet. Results of the penalty analysis can give a good direction to optimize this type of smoothies by avoiding vegetable ingredients with earthy or strong vegetal notes (e.g., beetroot, carrot). Research provides a series of practical tips for the food industry to understand consumer preferences, select raw materials, and improve marketing strategies. Knowing the separate Considering the basic tastes, sour was the main liking driver, while sweet, bitter, and aftertaste seemed to be less important. These results were in line with the penalty analysis data, in which sweetness and bitterness required correction. Interestingly, previous studies on fresh fruits, including pineapples [37], strawberries [38], nectarines and peaches [32], and apples [30,39] showed sweetness as a positive attribute, often even as the main sensory preference driver. Other research into fruit products such as oranges juice [33], pear fruit leather [40], dried pomegranate arils [23], as well as jelly candies from pomegranate juice [21], indicated a strong correlation between general acceptability and sensation of sweetness. However, another study reported sourness as a key apple acceptance driver [39], although it depends on the apple cultivar (sour, and sweet ones).
Lumpiness, viscosity, and pulpy were not appreciated by Millennial consumers under study. Forde and Delahunty [31] proved that young panelists can be strongly influenced by the predominant chemosensory attributes such as taste and aroma level [31], while older assessors placed more emphasis on the mouthfeel and irritant properties. Moreover, the homogeneity of the sample is preferred by younger consumers as compared to older ones; this situation was observed in the current study. Therefore, it should be emphasized that the main liking drivers for consumers of smoothies are sourness and tropical fruit flavors, and earthy and heterogeneous textures must be avoided.

Conclusions
This research evaluated sensory properties of commercial smoothies and identified liking drivers among the Spanish group of Millennial consumers under study. At the beginning of this conclusion, it is worth mentioning the limitation of this research to help and to make future research better. The sample size of consumers is one of the most important limitations observed, and the number of consumers should be higher to reach the global Millennial generation. It is also important to highlight the potential interactions based on the flavor and basic tastes that can occur; therefore, samples with specific flavor (e.g., mango) could be scored sweetener by consumers (never by trained panel) due to their expectations.
Descriptive sensory analysis and consumer studies preceded by the napping ® test seem to be an appropriate combination to optimize the formulation of novel fruit-and vegetable-smoothies. It was found that the key attributes controlling overall liking were: adequate intensity of sour taste and notes of mango, banana, and peach. Nevertheless, it should strive to improve recipes of smoothies to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in this form, which is considered a simple supplement in a balanced diet. Results of the penalty analysis can give a good direction to optimize this type of smoothies by avoiding vegetable ingredients with earthy or strong vegetal notes (e.g., beetroot, carrot). Research provides a series of practical tips for the food industry to understand consumer preferences, select raw materials, and improve marketing strategies. Knowing the separate clusters of smoothies available on the market and the drivers of their preferences, highly acceptable products can be developed targeting a specific consumer profile.