French and Vietnamese: How do they describe texture characteristics of the same food? A case study with jellies

Visual appearance and texture of jellies were assessed in two countries with important differences in food consumption habits and languages (France versus Vietnam) using methodologies with different levels of verbalisation and complexity: free sorting task followed by verbalisation, flash profile and conventional profile. Free sorting task and flash profile were applied both in France and Vietnam and conventional profile was applied in France only. Sensory maps were derived using multidimensional methods. The assessment of global similarities between product configurations showed that the same key sensory concepts were identified in both cultures. Specificities were also identified in each culture. Free sorting task results suggest that compared to French subjects, Vietnamese subjects adopted more similar strategies to sort the products. Flash profile results showed that Vietnamese subjects spontaneously used fewer attribute, and used them in a more similar way to rank the products. Concerning the methods, flash profile configurations were more similar to the conventional configuration than free sorting task configurations whatever the country.     

A hierarchy of models for analysing sensory data

We propose a hierarchy of models for averaging sensory profile data. The models follow from formulating the data from each assessor in terms of association matrices and considering different strategies for weighted averaging of these matrices. It turns out that two forms of weighting contained within the hierarchy are very close to Generalised Procrustes Analysis (GPA) and Individual Differences Scaling (INDSCAL). The advantage of the current approach is that the methods are not iterative. The methods are illustrated using data based on perception of yoghurts.     

Acceptance of calorie-reduced yoghurt: Effects of sensory characteristics and product information

The main objective of this paper was to study acceptance of yoghurt with different levels of two specific sensory attributes, sweetness and richness, when corresponding information about sugar and fat content was given simultaneously with tasting. A conjoint design was applied to examine the effects of intrinsic attributes (sensory) and extrinsic attributes (health information) on acceptability and purchase probability for calorie-reduced vanilla yoghurt. Based on sensory profiling of 12 yoghurts produced according to an experimental design, four yoghurts varying in sweetness and richness were selected. In the conjoint study this sensory variation was combined with information concerning fat content and sugar content. 153 health conscious consumers participated in a blind testing and a conjoint study. Analyses of variance showed that sweetness and information about sugar content had significant effects on liking and purchase probability. The study showed that conjoint methodology was an appropriate tool to reveal effects of extrinsic and intrinsic product attributes.     

Modifying the microstructure of low-fat yoghurt by microfluidisation of milk at different pressures to enhance rheological and sensory properties

The effects of microfluidisation of milk at different pressures, prior to heat treatment, on structural and sensory properties of low-fat stirred yoghurt, were investigated. Low-fat yoghurts prepared from microfluidised milk were compared with low-fat (1.5%) and full-fat (3.5%) control yoghurts made with homogenised (20/5 MPa) milk. The microstructure of low-fat yoghurts prepared with microfluidised milk consisted of smaller and more uniform fat globules, well incorporated into more interconnected fat-protein gel networks, compared with those of control yoghurts. This modification in microstructure caused significant changes in gel particle size, sensory profile and rheological behaviour. Microfluidisation increased the gel particle size, gel strength and viscosity; marked beneficial effects were found at higher pressures (50–150 MPa). Microfluidising milk at 50–150 MPa increased the gel strength by 171–195% and viscosity by 98–103%, creating low-fat yoghurts with creaminess and desirable texture properties similar to, or better than, full-fat conventional yoghurt.     

消费者Check-all-that-apply和喜好度测试在植物近水饮料感官评定中的应用研究

本研究采用check-all-that-apply（CATA）法与喜好9点标度法相结合的消费者快速感官评价方法,对马尾松、淡竹叶、桑叶、菊花、桂花、薄荷、紫苏、桦树汁露8种草本植物近水饮料的感官特征进行分析。消费者在19个口感和24个气味属性描述词中勾选,对8款近水饮料样品进行感官和喜好度评定。喜好度分析结果表明,消费者对8款植物近水饮料的喜好度存在差异,消费者对薄荷露和桂花露整体喜好度较高,两者差异不显著（P<0.05）。Cochran’s Q test分析结果表明,样品在41个感官属性中均存在显著性差异（P<0.05）。对应分析（Correspondence Analysis,CA）结果说明了8种植物近水饮料之间感官特征的差异,薄荷露感官特征突出,具有清凉、薄荷的特征属性;桂花露感官属性主要表现为桂花香、桃香、甜香;菊花露、紫苏露、桑叶露具有相似的绿茶、甘草、菊花等感官属性;马尾松与淡竹叶露感官特征相似;桦树汁露感官特征不明显。结合消费者李克特量表数据进行惩罚分析（Penalty Analysis,PA）,本研究发现注重健康人群并未对产品中草药气味表现出显著的不接受;有饮水添加助饮物习惯的人群更偏好甜香、清凉、金银花的感官特征。因此,消费者快速感官评价CATA法能够有效测试产品的感官属性和消费者偏好,并在新产品开发和市场调研方向展现出广阔的应用前景。     

Impact of trehalose,sucrose and/or maltodextrin addition on aroma retention in freeze dried strawberry puree

Trehalose was studied as a drying aid to establish its impact on aroma retention in freeze dried strawberry puree. The evaluation was done by sensory analysis and headspace‐solid phase microextraction‐gas chromatography with a mass detector (HS‐SPME‐GC‐MS); results were compared with those obtained using sucrose and maltodextrin (MD) as drying aids. The carbohydrate used significantly modified the type and concentration of volatiles retained during freeze drying. HS‐SPME‐GC‐MS outcomes showed that the use of trehalose (alone or with MD) resulted in the product with the chromatographic profile most similar to fresh strawberry puree, being different from sucrose and MD. Meanwhile, sensory analysis showed a similarity with the aromatic profiles when using trehalose or sucrose, remaining both different from MD. This study proved that the use of trehalose as a drying aid can be beneficial on volatile aroma retention and that different combinations of organic volatiles can lead to similar sensory profiles.