Consumer acceptability,sensory properties and expert quality judgements of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines

Background and Aims: This study aimed to determine what sensory attributes most drive consumer and expert acceptance for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines. Methods and Results: The sensory attributes of a set of commercial wines were quantified by a trained panel. A subset was assessed blind for liking by 203 consumers and for quality by 67 winemakers. For the total group of consumers, wines with low levels of ‘bitterness’, ‘hotness’, ‘metallic’, ‘smoky’ and ‘pepper’ were preferred. In addition, four consumer clusters were identified, each with different sensory drivers of preference, with the attributes ‘red berry’, ‘floral’, ‘caramel’ and ‘vanilla’ aroma, ‘acidity’, ‘green’ flavour and astringency being of importance in distinguishing the different clusters' acceptance scores. The winemakers' quality scores had little relationship with consumer response, although both groups gave low ratings to wines with Brettanomyces-related flavour. Conclusions: A relatively small set of sensory attributes were of greatest importance to consumer liking, and these generally dominate varietal differences. Winemakers' quality concepts do not closely align with those of the consumers. Significance of the Study: This study identifies sensory properties of red wines which could be maximised as well as those which should be reduced, allowing producers to better meet consumers' preferences.     

Modification of perceived beer bitterness intensity,character and temporal profile by hop aroma extract

The effect of hop aroma on perceived bitterness intensity, character and temporal profile of beer was investigated. A hop aroma extract was added at 3 levels (0, 245, 490 mg/L) to beers at low, medium and high bitterness. Beers were evaluated for perceived bitterness intensity, harshness, roundedness and linger by a trained panel using a rank-rating technique at each bitterness level, with and without nose clips. The use of nose clips enabled the olfactory aspect to be decoupled from taste and mouthfeel aspects of bitterness perception. Results showed significant modification of perceived bitterness in beer by hop aroma depending on the inherent level of bitterness. These modifications were mainly driven by olfaction – in an example of taste-aroma interactions, as well as certain tactile sensations elicited by the hop aroma extract in the oral cavity. At low bitterness, beers with hop aroma added were perceived as more bitter, and of ‘rounded’ bitterness character relative to those without hop aroma. When judges used nose clips, this effect was completely eliminated but the sample was perceived to have a ‘harsh’ bitterness character. Conversely, at high bitterness, even when nose clips were used, judges still perceived beers containing hop aroma to be more bitter. These increases in bitterness perception with nose clips indicates the stimulating of other receptors, e.g. trigeminal receptors by hop aroma extract, which in tandem with the high bitterness, cause perceptual interactions enhancing bitterness intensity and also affecting bitterness character. Bitterness character attributes such as ‘round’ and ‘harsh’ were found to significantly depend on bitterness and aroma levels, with the second level of aroma addition (245 mg/L) giving a ‘rounded’ bitterness in low bitterness beers but ‘harsh’ bitterness in high bitterness beers. The impact of aroma on temporal bitterness was also confirmed with time-intensity measurements, and found to be mostly significant at the highest level of hop aroma addition (490 mg/L) in low bitterness beers. These findings represent a significant step forward in terms of understanding bitterness flavour perception and the wider impact of hop compounds on sensory perception.     

Relationships of Sensory Bitterness in Lager Beers to Iso‐α‐Acid Contents

Iso‐α‐acids and their chemically modified variants play a large role in evoking the bitter sensory attributes of lager character, but individual consumers may vary in their perception of bitterness. Sixteen lagers were scored in rank‐rating for bitterness by 14 trained assessors and the concentrations of the six bitter components in these beers were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Relationships between bitterness intensity and the bitter components were modelled well using partial least square regression with a correlation value of 0.92. When 8 assessors carried out time‐intensity scoring of bitterness, profiles for single products were very different. However, single assessor profiles for multiple products showed qualitative similarities but quantitative differences. That individual assessors perceived bitter characters differently in relation to time has implications for new product development.     

Explaining tolerance for bitterness in chocolate ice cream using solid chocolate preferences

Chocolate ice cream is commonly formulated with higher sugar levels than nonchocolate flavors to compensate for the inherent bitterness of cocoa. Bitterness, however, is an integral part of the complex flavor of chocolate. In light of the global obesity epidemic, many consumers and health professionals are concerned about the levels of added sugars in foods. Once a strategy for balancing undesirable bitterness and health concerns regarding added sugars has been developed, the task becomes determining whether that product will be acceptable to the consumer. Thus, the purpose of this research was to manipulate the bitterness of chocolate ice cream to examine how this influences consumer preferences. The main goal of this study was to estimate group rejection thresholds for bitterness in chocolate ice cream, and to see if solid chocolate preferences (dark vs. milk) generalized to ice cream. A food-safe bitter ingredient, sucrose octaacetate, was added to chocolate ice cream to alter bitterness without disturbing other the sensory qualities of the ice cream samples, including texture. Untrained chocolate ice cream consumers participated in a large-scale sensory test by indicating their preferences for blinded pairs of unspiked and spiked samples, where the spiked sample had increasing levels of the added bitterant. As anticipated, the group containing individuals who prefer milk chocolate had a much lower tolerance for bitterness in their chocolate ice cream compared with the group of individuals who prefer dark chocolate; indeed, the dark chocolate group tolerated almost twice as much added bitterant in the ice cream before indicating a significant preference for the unspiked (control) ice cream. This work demonstrates the successful application of the rejection threshold method to a complex dairy food. Estimating rejection thresholds could prove to be an effective tool for determining acceptable formulations or quality limits when considering attributes that become objectionable at high intensities.     

Females' attitude and preference for beer: a conjoint analysis study

In order to sustain the fast‐expanding beer industry, companies need to attract new female consumers. The main objective of this study was to identify the extrinsic and intrinsic attributes that drive female consumers' purchase of beer. A literature review and focus group (n = 6) were conducted, and six attributes were identified as purchase drivers of beer. These attributes included flavour, appearance (colour), packaging, brand, production methods and beer style. These attributes were used to design a choice‐based conjoint analysis survey. The survey was administered to 277 females (aged 35.09 ± 15.2) residing in Nova Scotia (Canada). The results indicated that sweetness has a positive effect on liking. Bitterness has a strong negative effect on liking of beer. Black colour, stouts and macro‐brewed beers also had negative effects on liking of beer products. The consumer clusters showed that generally all of the consumer groups liked sweet beers with low bitterness.     

Consumer sensory evaluation of aftertaste intensity and liking of spicy paneer cheese

Capsaicin creates a spicy, burning, sensation that lingers. Thus, an increased understanding of spicy aftertaste and its relationship to consumer liking is of interest. We aimed to evaluate aftertaste intensity and liking of spicy paneer cheese (0, 3.75, 7.5 and 30 ppm capsaicin) by consumers (n = 79) every minute for 15 min. Influences of consumer consumption patterns on spicy aftertaste were also explored. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among samples, across aftertaste time periods (beginning, middle and end), and within consumer consumption categories. In general, the more capsaicin in a sample, the longer the sensation lasted, with a more intense spicy and overall aftertaste. Results showed consumers in different categorisation groups rated intensity of the samples differently, and reported liking the 30 ppm capsaicin paneer sample differently. Additionally, a consumer’s spice level preference was shown to not affect the time to abatement of the spicy aftertaste intensity perceived by consumers.     

Training of a sensory panel and profiling of winter hardy and coloured carrot genotypes

The aim of the study was to determine the performance of a sensory panel in evaluation of carrots by investigating the effect of training sessions on the reliability of the sensory attributes. A sensory panel (n = 10) was trained in profiling five carrot genotypes during a training session with seven sensory replications and 13 attributes. A significant effect of training on the sensory profile was determined for bitterness, green flavour and burning aftertaste, indicating that a learning process in judging these attributes was taking place. Terpene flavour, terpene aroma and burning aftertaste were the most reliable determined attributes and carrot flavour, soapiness flavour and nutty flavour were the least reliable attributes. The developed sensory profile was applied on 16 carrot types with a large variation in quality. Winter hardiness, carrot genotype and carrot colour formed distinct groups within the sensory profile, which indicates that the present sensory profile is relevant for assessing sensory quality of carrots. The winter hardy genotypes were characterised by having relatively high intensities in green aroma, carrot aroma, nutty flavour, carrot flavour and sweetness, while the reverse was true for the Nantes types and the coloured carrots with the red and white genotype as being the most extreme.     

Identifying drivers for consumer acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortilla

ABSTRACT:  The traditional production of corn tortilla has been modified by new processing technologies to make possible a commercial-scale production; this practice has resulted in products having sensory properties different from those produced by the traditional method. There is no published information on sensory attributes driving acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas. Identifying sensory drivers for acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas will help commercially produce products that satisfy consumers' expectations. A consumer study was conducted to evaluate acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas and determine drivers of acceptance and purchase intent of the products. Ten samples of corn tortillas were selected to represent a variety of corn tortillas available in the Mexican market. Three hundred Mexican consumers evaluated acceptability of appearance, color, thickness, rollability, resistance to tearing, aroma, chewiness, taste and aftertaste, and overall liking using a 9-point hedonic scale. Overall acceptance and purchase intent were determined with a yes/no scale. Analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance revealed that consumers were able to differentiate differences in sensory acceptability among 10 samples. For example, 2 homemade and 1 small commercial-scale samples, with an overall liking score of 6.6 to 6.7, were more acceptable than others. Rollability, resistance to tearing, and chewiness were attributes underlying overall differences among 10 samples. Attributes determining overall acceptance of corn tortillas were chewiness and overall liking. Purchase intent was influenced by overall appearance, rollability, chewiness, taste, and overall liking. This study revealed critical sensory attributes and their weights given by Mexican consumers when making decisions for acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortilla.     

RATA questions are not likely to bias hedonic scores

Concurrent elicitation of hedonic and sensory information from consumers helps to identify the sensory attributes that drive consumer preferences. However, there is a risk that asking consumers about specific sensory characteristics can bias their hedonic responses. This research extends previous work by investigating if concurrent use of rate-all-that-apply (RATA) questions, a variant of CATA questions is associated with bias of the hedonic scores. RATA questions extend CATA questions by requiring consumers to also rate the intensity of the terms that are applicable for describing samples (‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’). In eight consumer studies (n = 560) across five product categories there was no evidence of concurrent use of RATA questions influencing hedonic scores. When RATA questions were used concurrently with a hedonic question there was a strong tendency for greater hedonic discrimination between samples (5 of 8 studies). This suggested that the discriminative capacity of the hedonic question was increased by inclusion of the RATA question, a result that could be attributable to the RATA question increasing consumers’ engagement and attention to the task. Further research is required to confirm this result and tentative explanation.     

优质祁门红茶滋味特征分析

以祁门红茶中3个不同类型的最高等级样品,祁门工夫红茶(特茗等级)、祁红香螺(特级等级)和祁红毛峰(特级等级)为优质祁门红茶研究对象,结合人工感官审评、智能感官分析和化学分析,探讨优质祁门红茶的滋味特征。人工感官审评结果说明,3个样品的滋味分属性特征不同,优质祁门工夫红茶在甜度、鲜爽度、苦涩味、回甘4个分属性上优于优质祁红香螺和祁红毛峰。智能感官分析结果说明,电子舌可以根据滋味特征有效区分优质祁门工夫红茶、祁红香螺和祁红毛峰。化学分析结果说明,3个样品之间,茶多酚、咖啡碱和游离氨基酸质量分数存在显著性差异(P0.05),p H值无显著性差异(P≥0.05),其中咖啡碱质量分数与苦涩味呈正相关,游离氨基酸质量分数与鲜爽度呈正相关,这与3个样品滋味分属性特征不同相关。     

Personality traits and bitterness perception influence the liking and intake of pale ale style beers

Bitterness is classically considered undesirable in foods and beverages. Yet, widespread commercial success of beers (like Bitters in the UK or IPAs in the US) indicate bitterness is desirable for some consumers. Here, we tested whether personality traits influence beer liking and intake. Under laboratory conditions, beer consumers (n = 109) rated liking and intensity of 2 pale ales and a lager, and intensity of two bitter solutions (quinine, Tetralone®). Participants also completed intake and personality questionnaires (Sensation Seeking, Sensitivity to Punishment and Reward, and Food Involvement). A liking ratio for each beer was calculated from each participant’s liking for that specific beer and their total liking for all beers. Participants were classified as weekly, monthly, or yearly pale ale consumers using intake data. Using intensity ratings, personality measures, and other parameters, hierarchical linear regression was used to predict liking ratios, and logistic regression was used to predict beer intake frequency. A significant interaction between Sensation Seeking and quinine bitterness (p = 0.03) was found for the liking ratio of a pale ale. The interaction revealed liking of the pale ale increased with Sensation Seeking but only if quinine bitterness was also high. Intake models showed increased odds of frequent pale ale intake with greater quinine bitterness and lower liking for lager beer. These data suggest liking and intake of pale ales is positively related to Sensation Seeking and bitter taste perception. Contrary to findings in other bitter foods and beverages, the high bitterness found in pale ales may be desirable for some consumers.     

SENSORY QUANTIFICATION OF BITTERNESS AND FLAVOUR OF BEER DURING STORAGE*

Sensory techniques were utilized to measure bitterness and degree of liking for commercial lagers, and to quantify aroma and flavour qualities of two sets of experimental lagers. Significant negative correlations were obtained between sensory bitterness and degree of liking for 17 commercial beers, by inexperienced as well as by trained judges. Sensory bitterness was positively correlated with BU values, with both measurements negatively correlated with beer age. In experimental lagers, BU values decreased with increasing time and temperature of storage, but sensory bitterness, as determined by trained judges, decreased only with storage time. Increases in malty, ethanol, and skunky aromas with time of storage were accompanied by decreases in hoppy, musty, and wet cardboard aromas. Baked aroma increased sharply with increasing storage temperature. In a second set of experimental lagers varying in pH (3·7, 4·2, or 4·6) and/or headspace gas, sourness was markedly affected by pH whereas baked flavour was significantly stronger in beers with O₂ than in those with CO₂ headspace. The data are discussed in terms of differences between analytical and consumer-type sensory testing, and in terms of changes in aroma and flavour attributable to iso-α-acid content, pH, headspace gas, and time and temperature of storage.     

Sensory quality of turnip greens and turnip tops grown in northwestern Spain

In Galicia (northwestern Spain), Brassica rapa var. rapa L. includes turnip greens and turnip tops as vegetable products that are characterized by a particular sulfurous aroma, pungent flavor, and a bitter taste. In this work, 12 local varieties grown as turnip greens and turnip tops were evaluated to define the sensory attributes, to relate them with secondary metabolites, and to select those sensorial traits that better describe these crops. Results showed differences in the sensory profiles of B. rapa varieties. Turnip greens were significantly different regarding aroma intensity, leaf color, and salty taste, while turnip tops were for color and firmness of leaves, moistness and fibrosity in mouth, sharpness, and bitter taste. Secondary metabolites as glucosinolates in turnip greens and phenolic compounds in turnip tops were highly correlated with texture and flavor. Glucosinolates, especially progoitrin (in turnip greens) and gluconapin (in turnip tops), showed correlation with bitter taste and aftertaste persistence. Correlation between sensory traits showed highest values between leaf firmness and stalk firmness (R = 0.94**), leaf firmness and fibrosity (R = 0.92**), aftertaste persistence and bitterness (R = 0.91**), and between bitterness and moistness (R = −0.89**).