Comparison between quantitative descriptive analysis and flash profile in profiling the sensory properties of commercial red sufu (Chinese fermented soybean curd).

Abstract

Red sufu is a type of sufu produced by solid-state fermentation of soybean curd and coloration with red mold rice. The purposes of this study were: (i) to characterize commercial red sufu samples using the quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and flash profile (FP) by ten trained and ten untrained panelists, respectively; (ii) to compare the differences in panel performance, descriptive abilities and sensory maps between the two methodologies; and (iii) to compare the efficiency between QDA and FP using red sufu as the matrix. Techniques in multivariate analysis were utilized to explore the data. Results from generalized procrustes analysis (GPA) showed that panel performance by QDA was more repeatable and reached higher homogeneity than that by FP. Despite the confidence ellipse results of the 12 red sufus being better discriminated by QDA, the RV coefficient was high (RV = 0.852) between the configurations of the two-dimensional model (F1 and F2) of the two methodologies, indicating that the two methods are similar and closely related. Overall, QDA provided more accurate and detailed information, while FP provided a similar sensory map on product location and descriptive results. The FP technique appeared to be an efficient alternative approach to quickly evaluate sensory properties, including appearance, flavor, aroma and textural properties of an array of red sufu products. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.