Sensory Characterization and Consumer Preference Mapping of Fresh Sausages Manufactured with Goat and Sheep Meat

The main objective of this study was the sensory characterization, by a taste and a consumers’ panel, of fresh sausages from 140 culled goats and 140 culled ewes. Species and type of preparation effects were studied. All data were previously analyzed by analysis of variance. Taste panel data were analyzed by a Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA). Consumers’ panel data were analyzed by Preference Mapping. The 1st 2 factors explained 88.22% of total variation in GPA. Different sausages samples were perfectly differentiated by assessors. Goat sausages have been considered harder, more fibrous, and less juicy than sheep sausages. The panelists observed that sheep sausages without paprika had greater intensity of flavor, tasted spicy, and had an off‐odor, while goat sausages with paprika were considered sweeter. Consumers’ panel did not show any preference for the different types of sausages. This means that all types of sausages can have market opportunity.     

Preference Mapping of Fresh Tomatoes Across 3 Stages of Consumption

Tomatoes (Solanum lycoperiscum) are a popular produce choice and provide many bioactive compounds. Consumer choice of tomatoes is influenced by flavor and visual appearance and external texture cues including hand firmness and sliceability. The objective of this study was to determine drivers of liking for fresh tomatoes across 3 stages of consumption. Seven tomato cultivars were ripened to a 6 on the USDA color chart. Trained panelists documented appearance, flavor, and texture attributes of tomatoes in triplicate. Tomato consumers (n = 177) were provided with knives and cutting boards and evaluated tomatoes across 3 stages: appearance (stage 1), slicing (stage 2), and consumption (stage 3). Consumers evaluated overall liking at each stage. Analysis of variance and external preference mapping were conducted. Overall liking was highest during the appearance portion of the test and lowest during the consumption portion (P < 0.05). Drivers of liking at stage 1 were color intensity, even outside color, and overall aroma. Drivers of liking at stage 2 were wetness/juiciness and overall aroma. Wetness/juiciness, seed presence, ripe flavor, and sweet and umami tastes were drivers of liking for tomatoes at consumption (stage 3). Four separate clusters of tomato consumers were identified. Cluster 1 preferred tomatoes with even color, higher color intensity, and flavor intensity. Cluster 2 preferred firm tomatoes. Cluster 3 preferred tomatoes that were soft and at peak ripeness; this cluster also had the highest liking scores for all tomatoes. Cluster 4 consumers generally consumed tomatoes in sandwiches rather than as‐is and preferred tomatoes with even and intense color. Tomato growers can utilize these results to target cultivars that are well liked by consumers.     

Preference Mapping of Lemon Lime Carbonated Beverages with Regular and Diet Beverage Consumers

The drivers of liking of lemon‐lime carbonated beverages were investigated with regular and diet beverage consumers. Ten beverages were selected from a category survey of commercial beverages using a D‐optimal procedure. Beverages were subjected to consumer testing (n = 101 regular beverage consumers, n = 100 diet beverage consumers). Segmentation of consumers was performed on overall liking scores followed by external preference mapping of selected samples. Diet beverage consumers liked 2 diet beverages more than regular beverage consumers. There were no differences in the overall liking scores between diet and regular beverage consumers for other products except for a sparkling beverage sweetened with juice which was more liked by regular beverage consumers. Three subtle but distinct consumer preference clusters were identified. Two segments had evenly distributed diet and regular beverage consumers but one segment had a greater percentage of regular beverage consumers (P < 0.05). The 3 preference segments were named: cluster 1 (C1) sweet taste and carbonation mouthfeel lovers, cluster 2 (C2) carbonation mouthfeel lovers, sweet and bitter taste acceptors, and cluster 3 (C3) bitter taste avoiders, mouthfeel and sweet taste lovers. User status (diet or regular beverage consumers) did not have a large impact on carbonated beverage liking. Instead, mouthfeel attributes were major drivers of liking when these beverages were tested in a blind tasting. Practical Application : Preference mapping of lemon‐lime carbonated beverage with diet and regular beverage consumers allowed the determination of drivers of liking of both populations. The understanding of how mouthfeel attributes, aromatics, and basic tastes impact liking or disliking of products was achieved. Preference drivers established in this study provide product developers of carbonated lemon‐lime beverages with additional information to develop beverages that may be suitable for different groups of consumers.     

Preference Mapping of Soymilk with Different U.S. Consumers

This study determined and compared drivers of liking for unflavored soymilk with different U.S. consumer groups. A highly trained panel documented appearance, mouthfeel and flavor attributes of 26 commercial soymilks. Twelve representative soymilks were then selected for evaluation by consumers from 3 age/cultural categories (n = 75 each category; Caucasian/African American females aged 18 to 30 y; Asian females aged 18 to 30 y; Caucasian/African American females aged 40 to 64 y). Consumers evaluated overall liking and liking and intensity of specific attributes. Results were evaluated by analysis of variance, followed by internal and external preference mapping. Age had no effect on overall liking, while ethnicity did (Caucasian/African American compared with Asian; P < 0.05). Caucasians/African Americans differentiated soymilks more than Asians and assigned a wider range of liking scores than Asians (2.1 to 7.2 compared with 4.0 to 6.1). Three consumer clusters were identified. Sweet taste with vanilla/vanillin and sweet aromatic flavors and higher viscosity were preferred by most consumers and differences between consumer clusters were primarily in drivers of dislike. Drivers of dislike were not identified for Cluster 1 consumers while Clusters 2 and 3 consumers (n = 84, n = 80) disliked beany, green/grassy and meaty/brothy flavors and astringency. Cluster 3 (n = 80) consumers scored all soymilks higher in liking (P < 0.05) than Cluster 2 consumers, and were willing to overlook disliked attributes with the addition of sweet taste, whereas the Cluster 2 consumers were not. These findings can be utilized to produce soymilks with attributes that are well liked by target consumers and to tailor attributes for segments of the population that have not yet been accommodated.     

Sensory Attributes and Preference Mapping of Muesli Oat Flakes

ABSTRACT: A trained sensory panel rated 8 muesli oat flakes—6 experimental (with 3 thickness levels and 2 heat treatments) and 2 commercial (regular and organic)—as such or with milk for attribute intensities; and 3 consumer groups–young adults, 18 to 25 y; adults, 35 to 49; elderly, 58 to 85—rated the same oat flakes for preference. To appeal to the majority of the consumers, the flakes should not adhere to teeth and should not need too much mastication. In addition, large enough milk absorption is preferred. The elderly preferred an easy eating experience more than the younger consumers. Thus, it is important to recognize that different types of muesli appeal to different consumer segments.     

Application of Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) to the Preference Mapping of Cheese Sticks

ABSTRACT: A novel modeling technique named MARS (Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines) can automate variable selection as well as model selection. The main purpose of this study was to apply MARS to consumer preference mapping using consumer test data for cheese sticks. The results show that MARS was capable of modeling consumer's preference patterns for cheese sticks. One distinct advantage of MARS in preference mapping is that it has the ability to model hedonic-scale response variables (such as overall acceptance, acceptance of appearance, flavor, and texture) from "Just About Right" (JAR) predictor variables (such as color, size, saltiness, breading, and cheese texture). In addition, MARS can reveal the underlying relationship between the predictors and the response in a piecewise regression function. This study shows that MARS has potential uncovering underlying patterns hidden in complex data.     

基于地域喜好差异的常温酸奶关键感官属性优化

对中国北方三大常温酸奶消费区域中代表性较强的消费城市进行常温酸奶感官喜好性及关键感官属性测试,采用多元统计分析、方差分析、偏相关分析、Penalty分析对感官评价结果进行分析,研究表明:青岛、石家庄、西安的消费者对常温酸奶喜好度认知趋势整体一致。青岛消费者更倾向于酸味偏弱、乳香味偏弱、粘稠度偏弱的产品,石家庄消费者更倾向于粘稠度偏弱、乳香味偏弱、酸味偏强的产品,西安消费者更倾向于乳香味偏强、粘稠度偏弱的产品。三个地区对于4种常温酸奶的整体喜好度排序稍不同,整体上,样品A、C的喜好性显著高于样品B、D(p<0.05)。结果发现不同地区的常温酸奶口味存在差异,根据Penalty分析,可对不同地区的样品进行调整,确定调整方向并确定调整程度,以满足不同地区消费口味的需求。     

Consumer acceptance of new strawberry vinegars by preference mapping

Consumers’ acceptance of new strawberry vinegars was evaluated, and trained panellists described their sensory profiles. Four strawberry vinegars, three produced from puree and one from cooked must, were evaluated jointly. Due to obtaining the highest percentage of consumer acceptance, cooked strawberry must vinegar was considered to be the best. This vinegar stood out in general impression, raisin, and liqueur attributes. Internal preference maps confirmed a higher acceptance level for the strawberry vinegars over commercial vinegar. External preference mapping, obtained by PLS2 analysis, revealed that the main sensory attributes driving consumers’ preferences are raisin, toasted caramel, spicy, and liqueur aroma.     

Fortification of Wheat Bread with Agroindustry By‐Products: Statistical Methods for Sensory Preference Evaluation and Correlation with Color and Crumb Structure

The use of agroindustry by‐products (BP) for fortification of wheat bread can be an alternative to waste disposal because BP are appealing sources of dietary fiber. Moreover, it may also contribute to indirect income generation. In this study, sensory, color, and crumb structure properties of breads fortified with fiber rich fraction recovered from four types of agroindustry BP were tested, namely orange (OE), pomegranate (PE), elderberry (EE), and spent yeast (YE). Statistical models for sensory preference evaluation and correlation with color and crumb structure were developed. External preference mapping indicated consumer preferences and enabled selection of the concentrations of BP fibre‐rich fraction with best acceptance, namely 7.0% EE, 2.5% OE, 5.0% PE, and 2.5% YE. Data collected from image analysis complemented sensory profile information, whereas multivariate PLS regression provided information on the relationship between “crust color” and “crumb color” and instrumental data. Regression models developed for both sensory attributes presented good fitting (R²Y > 0.700) and predictive ability (Q² > 0.500), with low RMSE. Crust and crumb a* parameters had a positive influence on “crust color” and “crumb color” models, while crust L* and b* had a negative influence.     

Effect of the inoculation level of Lactobacillus acidophilus in probiotic cheese on the physicochemical features and sensory performance compared with commercial cheeses

The complex metabolism of probiotic bacteria requires several technological options to guarantee the functionally of probiotic dairy foods during the shelf life. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of the supplementation of increasing amounts of Lactobacillus acidophilus (0, 0.4, or 0.8 g/L of milk) on the physicochemical parameters and sensory acceptance of Minas fresh cheese. In addition, the sensory acceptance of probiotic cheeses was assessed using a consumer test and compared with commercial cheeses (conventional and probiotic). High counts (9.11 to 9.42 log cfu/g) of L. acidophilus were observed throughout the shelf life, which contributed to the maintenance of its probiotic status and resulted in lower pH values and greater production of organic acids. The probiotic cheeses presented lower scores for appearance, aroma, and texture compared with conventional cheeses. Internal preference mapping explained almost 60% of the total variation of the data and showed a large number of consumers concentrated near the conventional cheeses, demonstrating greater preference for these samples. The findings indicated that some negative sensory effects could occur when high level of supplementation with L. acidophilus is used in probiotic cheese processing.