Are the sensory qualities of prestigious traditional varieties of beans preserved in commercial canned products? A comprehensive sensorial and chemical study on Ganxet beans

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The commercial production of legume cans often involves exposing products to elevated temperatures, albeit with potential alterations to sensory traits. For premium products such as the Ganxet bean, which holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) quality label, these adverse effects may influence consumer acceptance. This study investigated sensory and chemical differences between commercial cans and traditionally cooked Ganxet beans. A market survey enabled the identification of 15 commercial Ganxet cans, which were profiled for different physicochemical traits. Five were selected to represent maximum variability and were compared to two traditionally cooked references using standardized descriptive sensory and compositional analyses (volatile and non-volatile fractions). Commercial cans presented significantly higher off-flavor intensity and product darkening, while no significant changes were observed for textural traits. Commercial cans exhibited a broad diversity in their volatile profile and significantly lower content of distinctive non-volatile molecules (citric acid, sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose). A multivariate PLS regression model related off-flavor present in commercial cans with (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, (E)-2-octenal, 1-nonanol (enhancers), and glutamic, malic, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, stachyose, sucrose, and glucose (inhibitors). The deviation of commercial Ganxet cans from PDO sensory quality requirements highlights the necessity for innovations in cooking protocols. These innovations are essential for producing high-quality cans from prestigious bean varieties.