Estimating Sensory Properties with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Tool for Quality Control and Breeding of ‘Calçots’ (Allium cepa L.)

Silvia Sans,Ricard Boqué,Joan Simó,José Sabaté,Joan Casals,Joan Ferré

doi:10.3390/agronomy10060828

Abstract

Using trained panelists to evaluate sensory attributes is unfeasible when many samples must be evaluated, such as in quality control or breeding programs. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a rapid inexpensive method often used in food quality evaluation. We assessed the feasibility of using NIRS to estimate sweetness, fiber perception, and off-flavors, the most important sensory attributes in cooked ‘calçots’ (the immature floral stems of second-year onion resprouts). The best results were achieved through models using interval partial least squares (iPLS) variable selection on spectra from pureed cooked ‘calçots’, which yielded values of the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) greater than 1.4 in all cases. Therefore, it would be feasible to use NIRS to estimate sensory properties in ‘calçots’. This approach would be useful in initial screening to discard samples that differ substantially from the ideotype; thus, sensory analysis by trained panels could be reserved for finer discriminations.

Highlights

Since the high water content in the samples could limit the use of Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) due to the strong absorption bands that predominate in the spectrum, we considered the alternative of using the spectra from ground dried puree samples
Quality control and plant breeding programs need to analyze large numbers of samples and rapid, inexpensive phenotyping methods are needed to enable the analysis of sensory attributes
Our results show that it is feasible to use NIRS to estimate the most important sensory attributes in cooked ‘calçots’: sweetness, fiber perception, and off-flavors

Summary

Introduction

Using trained panelists to evaluate sensory attributes is unfeasible when many samples must be evaluated, such as in quality control or breeding programs. We assessed the feasibility of using NIRS to estimate sweetness, fiber perception, and off-flavors, the most important sensory attributes in cooked ‘calçots’ (the immature floral stems of second-year onion resprouts). Since only a few samples can be evaluated in each session, panelists must meet several times, making it impracticable to analyze large numbers of samples [4]. These limitations discourage breeders from including sensory

Methods

Results

Conclusion