Relationship between Sensory Attributes, (Dis) Liking and Volatile Organic Composition of Gorgonzola PDO Cheese

Blue-veined cheese tends to polarize the consumers’ affective responses due to its strong flavor. This study aims to: (i) explore the consumers’ sensory perceptions and liking of Gorgonzola PDO cheese; (ii) identify the sensory drivers of acceptance for Gorgonzola in the function of the cheese style; (iii) characterize them by the volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and (iv) explore the relationships of the VOCs with sensory perception and liking. Six samples of Gorgonzola cheese differing in style (sweet vs. piquant), aging time (70–95 days), and production process (artisanal vs. industrial) were evaluated by 358 subjects (46% males, 18–77 years) using liking and Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) tests. The cheese VOCs were measured by SPME/GC-MS. Liking was significantly higher for the sweet cheese than for the piquant cheese and for the artisanal cheese than for the industrial samples. Penalty Analysis showed that ‘creamy’, ‘sweet’, ‘nutty’, and ‘salty’ were significant drivers of liking while the ‘soapy’ and ‘ammonia’ flavors turned out to be drivers of disliking. Fifty-three VOCs were identified. Regression models revealed the significant highest associations between the VOCs and ‘ammonia’, ‘pungent’, ‘soapy’, and ‘moldy’ flavors. A good association was also found with the consumers’ liking. The identification of the sensory drivers of (dis) liking and their relationship with the VOCs of Gorgonzola opens up a new understanding of the consumers’ blue-veined cheese preferences.

Hedonic perception and preference analysis of double cream cheeses formulated with raw and pasteurized milk

Objective: To compare the characteristics of double cream cheeses made with raw and pasteurized milk per liking and preference level. Design/Methodology/Approach: Cheeses from three brands were evaluated: Santa Teresa, Montero, and Colegio de Postgraduados (CP). The first two cheeses were formulated with raw milk, while the CP cheese was formulated with pasteurized milk inoculated with lactic cultures. The hedonic perception study was carried out in monadic series with 19 volunteers who blind tasted the three types of cheese. The evaluation attributes were: appearance, taste, aroma, and general acceptability on a 9-point scale; and saltiness, acidity, and creaminess on a 3-point scale (JAR). Preferences were evaluated by rank and multiple comparison tests. Results: No differences were found in the aroma, taste, and texture liking level of the cheeses (p>0.05); nevertheless, there were differences in the appearance and general acceptance (p˂0.05). The general acceptance of the CP cheese was significantly lower than that of the two raw milk cheeses (p˂0.05). The penalty analysis showed that low acidity and low creaminess attributes are related to a low general acceptance (p˂0.05). Limitations/Implications: The study has enough evaluations for statistical tests. Findings/Conclusions: Raw milk cheeses obtained the highest marks in all attributes. Determining if there are other sensory attributes —in addition to those that were the subject of this study— will help to explain the greater preference and global acceptance of raw milk cheeses.

Check-All-That-Apply Questions including the Ideal Product as a Tool for Selecting Varieties in Breeding Programs. A Case Study with Mandarins

Obtaining superior quality varieties are one of the main objectives of fruit breeding programs worldwide. In this study, we investigate employing check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions, which include the ideal product, as a method to select new varieties according to consumer organoleptic quality requirements. To this end, mandarin cultivars were used as a case study. Four new cultivars from the IVIA breeding program (‘Pri-88′, ‘Pri-89′, ‘Pri-90′ and ‘Tri-707′), and two commercial cultivars related to them (‘Clemenules’ and ‘Oronules’), were evaluated by a consumer panel using the CATA questions method, which include their ideal product. Our results reveal that this method is a useful tool for selecting varieties based on consumer descriptions of their sensory properties in relation to those of their ideal cultivar. This allows the different consumer preference patterns and differences in sample perceptions to be taken into account. A penalty analysis was performed, including the ideal product, to identify the “must-have” attributes; i.e., those that consumers included in their ideal mandarin description and, whenever present in samples, they significantly increased acceptance. For the mandarins herein evaluated, these attributes are “refreshing taste”, “very aromatic”, “sweet”, “juicy”, “very intense taste”, “sour” and “not very fibrous”. The fruit characteristics that contributed to improve the quality of the new varieties vs. the original varieties were also identified. ‘Pri-89′ and ‘Tri-707′, obtained from ‘Clemenules’, came closer to consumers’ ideal variety, because besides the aforementioned “must-have” attributes, these mandarins have small segments. ‘Pri-90′ implied improvement in relation to ‘Oronules’ and is an appropriate variety for those consumers sensitive to bitterness and who like mandarins with a certain level of sourness.

The Effect of Freezing Sheep’s Milk on the Meltability, Texture, Melting and Fat Crystallization Profiles of Fresh Pasta Filata Cheese

Sheep’s milk is produced in smallholdings, which hinders the continuity of production. Therefore, freezing during periods of high production can be a solution. Herein, we examined the effect of freezing on sheep’s milk and a mixture of sheep and cow’s milk (70:30, v/v) on the quality of fresh pasta filata cheeses produced from the milk. Frozen/thawed sheep’s milk contributes little to the development of innovative and reformulated cheeses. This was due to 24% higher hardness and greater extensibility and cutting force, as well as lower stretching and elasticity. Although their flowability increased (Oiling-off from 3 to 12%), the meltability (tube test, and Schreiber test) decreased. Additionally, the use of frozen milk caused consumer dissatisfaction. The consumer penalty analysis of the just–about–right showed that freezing of the milk caused the loss of the refreshing, elasticity and shininess of pasta filata cheeses.

Too Much of a Good Thing is Just About Right: Using Penalty Analysis to Evaluate the Impact of Key Travel on Notebook Keyboard User Experience

Penalty analysis (PA) is a common sensory data analysis method used to develop and improve consumer products. This technique identifies the factors that lead to the greatest reduction in product satisfaction with the largest agreement among participants. Here, we apply PA to a usability study with 51 representative users comparing two different notebook computers with different key travel (1mm vs. 1.5mm). Participants completed a typing task followed by a usability survey. While traditional t-tests revealed limited differences between keyboards, PA identified additional ways to optimize the keyboard by adjusting attributes such as key travel and force. Overall, PA may be a useful complement to usability studies. Recommendations for adapting PA to usability studies will be discussed including advantages and limitations.

New retting method of cassava roots improve sensory attributes of Bobolo and Chikwangue in Central Africa: an approach through just about right (JAR) test

Aim: the aim of this study was to determine sensory profile, through the use of just-about-right (JAR) scales and penalty analysis, of Bobolo and Chikwangue from the cassava roots fermented with previously cassava-fermented chips powder (PCFCP). Furthermore, retting time, cyanide content and pasting properties of retted roots were evaluated. Methods: for that, two samples of Bobolo and Chikwangue obtained from two cassava retting methods were studied: a control made from the retting without PCFCP and a product made from retting with PCFCP. Results: retting time was carried out in 48 hours less with PCFCP and 60% of cyanide reduction more than control. No major modifications occurs in pasting properties of paste fermented with PCFCP. The sensory analysis indicated high levels of acceptability for products made from retting with PCFCP. The penalty analysis showed that attributes “too sour” and “too much fermented odor” affected the acceptability of the Bobolo from retting without PCFCP significantly. Conclusion: fermentation of cassava through the use of PCFCP is suitable to improvement of sensory characteristics of fermented cassava by-products.

Application of Augmented Reality in the Sensory Evaluation of Yogurts

Augmented reality (AR) applications in the food industry are considered innovative to enrich the interactions among consumers, food products, and context. The study aimed to investigate the effects of AR environments on the sensory responses of consumers towards different yogurts. AR HoloLens headsets were used to set up two AR environments: (1) AR coconut view (ARC) and (2) AR dairy view (ARD). Hedonic ratings, just-about-right (JAR), check-all-that-apply (CATA) attribute terms, emotional responses, purchase intent, and consumer purchasing behaviors of three types of yogurts (dairy-free coconut, dairy, and mixed) were measured under ARC, ARD, and sensory booths (SB). The results showed that the liking scores of dairy and mixed yogurts were generally higher than the coconut yogurt regardless of the environment. The interaction effect of yogurts and environments was statistically significant in terms of appearance, taste/flavor, sweetness, mouthfeel, aftertaste, and overall liking. JAR and penalty analysis revealed that consumers penalized the coconut yogurt for being “too much” in sourness, “too little” in sweetness, and “too thin” in mouthfeel. For the CATA analysis, attribute terms positively associated with overall liking (such as “sweet”, “smooth”, and “creamy”) were selected for dairy and mixed yogurts, whereas the attribute terms negatively associated with overall liking (such as “firm”, “heavy”, and “astringent”) were only selected for coconut yogurts. Regarding yogurt-consumption behaviors, the purchase intent of dairy and mixed yogurts was higher than that of the coconut yogurt, and taste and health were considered to be the most critical factors for yogurt consumption.

Identifying the drivers of liking for texture attributes of Vietnamese sausage

Vietnamese sausage (cha lua), a pork processing food with a characteristic chewy and crunchy texture, are widely consumed in Vietnam. However, there are not many established researchs on hedonic and sensory attributes for this product, especially about the texture attributes. The goal of this study was to investigate consumer's preference as well as identify the drivers of liking for texture of Vietnamese sausage. Eight samples were prepared with various ratio of lean meat, lard and starch to cover a wide range of different texture of Vietnamese sausage. Sixty eight consumers then evaluated these eight samples, rating texture liking on nine-point scale and answering a checkall- that-apply (CATA) question, which consisted of 16 different texture attributes of Vietnamese sausage. The consumers were also asked to check all the approriate attributes to describe their ideal products. The ANOVA and post –hoc test showed samples which had recipes with high lard ratio (20-25%) and low meat ratio (70%) had a significant higher liking scores, while the samples which had recipe with high meat ratio (90%) had the lowest liking scores. The Cochran's Q test showed that 12 attributes had different choice frequency between samples, suggesting the texture of Vietnamese sausage is complex and diverse. The CA results showed all the samples without stach were associated with large air holes, while samples which high meat ratio (80%) were associated with hardness. The ideal Vietnamese sausage product was associated with fattiness, juiciness, springiness and brittleness. Finally, the results of penalty analysis showed that chewy, firm, and elastic attributes had positive impacts on the liking score for Vietnamese sausage products, while attributes that exhibit heterogeneity, such as large air hole and grainy, significantly reduced the liking score of the product. This suggested the importance of mechanical texture attributes and homogenity on the consumer's preference of the Vietnamese sausage.