SORT-CC: A procedure for the statistical treatment of free sorting data

A statistical approach for the analysis of free sorting data is discussed. In a first stage, the sorting data from each subject are arranged into a dataset consisting of indicator variables which reflect the memberships of the stimuli to the groups formed by the subject under consideration. Thereafter, an appropriate standardization is applied on these data and a three way statistical method, namely Common Components and Specific Weights Analysis, is performed on the datasets thus obtained. This makes it possible to take account of the individual differences among the subjects and to depict graphical displays showing the relationships among the stimuli on the one hand and among subjects on the other hand. The general strategy of analysis is illustrated on the basis of a dataset and the outcomes are compared to those of other strategies of analysis of sorting data.     

Varietal and geographic classification of French red wines in terms of elements,amino acids and aromatic alcohols

Thirty-four French red wines from three regions already studied for their anthocyanin and flavonoid constituents have been further analysed for elements, amino acids and aromatic alcohols. An interpretation of the differences between wines related to their different geographic and varietal origins has been made from the results of statistical analyses: F statistic, principal component analysis (PCA) and stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA). Wine samples produced near Bordeaux were found to be characterised by higher rubidium and lower lithium and calcium concentrations. Differences between wine samples made from the same grape variety or produced in the same region are mainly related to differences in potassium and ash contents. The PCA demonstrates that the concentration of most amino acids in wines is mainly a function of the technology used in wine production. Moreover, it shows that the concentration of proline, hydroxyproline and ethanolamine are generally lower in wines prepared from Carignan, Cinsault and Grenache grapes than in wines from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot grapes. Finally, it shows clear differences between wines according to the latitude of the production centre. These differences correspond to increasing total nitrogen content from south to north, ie Narbonne and Bordeaux versus Angers. In discriminant analysis Bordeaux wines were characterised by high rubidium and low arginine concentrations, Angers wines by a lower arginine content and Narbonne wines by their abundance of magnesium and deficiency of ethanolamine.     

Application of static analyses for state-space reduction to the microcontroller binary code

This paper describes the application of two abstraction techniques, namely dead variable reduction and path reduction, to the microcontroller binary code in order to tackle the state-explosion problem in model checking. These abstraction techniques are based on static analyses, which have to cope with the peculiarities of the binary code such as hardware dependencies, interrupts, recursion, and globally accessible memory locations. An interprocedural static analysis framework is presented that handles these peculiarities. Based on this framework, extensions of dead variable reduction and path reduction are detailed. A case study using several microcontroller programs is presented in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the described abstraction techniques.     

Use of Multi‐Intake Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) to Evaluate the Influence of Cheese on Wine Perception

Though the gastronomic sector recommends certain wine–cheese associations, there is little sensory evidence on how cheese influences the perception of wine. It was the aim of this study to dynamically characterize 4 wines as they would be perceived when consumed with and without cheese. The tasting protocol was based on multi‐intake temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) coupled with hedonic rating. In the 1st session, 31 French wine and cheese consumers evaluated the wines (Pacherenc, Sancerre, Bourgogne, and Madiran) over 3 consecutive sips. In the following sessions, they performed the same task, but eating small portions of cheese (Epoisses, Comté, Roquefort, Crottin de Chavignol) between sips. All cheeses were tasted with all wines over 4 sessions. TDS data were mainly analyzed in terms of each attribute's duration of dominance by analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, and canonical variate analysis. Results showed that cheese consumption had an impact (P < 0.1) on dominance duration of attributes and on preference for most wines. For example, in Madiran, all cheeses reduced dominance duration (P < 0.01) of astringency and sourness and increased duration of red fruit aroma. Although the number of consumers was small to make extended general conclusions on wine's preference, significant changes were observed before and after cheese intake.     

Temporal Texture Profile and Identification of Glass Transition Temperature as an Instrumental Predictor of Stickiness in a Caramel System

Stickiness is an important texture attribute in many food systems, but its meaning can vary by person, product, and throughout mastication. This variability and complexity makes it difficult to devise analytical tests that accurately and consistently predict sensory stickiness. Glass transition temperature (T_g) is a promising candidate for texture prediction. Our objective is to elucidate the temporal profile of stickiness in order to probe the relationship between T_g and dynamic stickiness perception. Nine caramel samples with diverse texture and thermal profiles were produced for sensory testing and differential scanning calorimetry. Sixteen trained panelists generated stickiness‐relevant terms to be used in a subsequent temporal dominance of sensation (TDS) test with the same panelists. Following the TDS study, these panelists also rated samples for overall tactile and oral stickiness. Stickiness ratings were then correlated to TDS dominance parameters across the full evaluation period and within the first, middle, and final thirds of the evaluation period. Samples with temporal texture profiles dominated by tacky, stringy, and enveloping attributes consistently received the highest stickiness scores, although the correlation strength varied by time period. T_g was found to correlate well with trained panelist and consumer ratings of oral (R²_trained = 0.85; R²_consumer = 0.96) and tactile (R²_trained = 0.78; R²_consumer = 0.79) stickiness intensity, and stickiness intensity ratings decreased with T_g of completely amorphous samples. Further, glassy samples followed a different texture trajectory (brittle‐cohesive‐toothpacking) than rubbery samples (deformable‐tacky‐enveloping). These results illuminate the dynamic perception of stickiness and support the potential of T_g to predict both stickiness intensity and texture trajectory in caramel systems.