The Impact of Essential Oils on Consumer Acceptance ofChouriço de vinho- A Dry-Cured Sausage Made from Wine-Marinated Meat - Assessed by the Hedonic Scale, JAR Intensity Scale and Consumers' “Will to Consume and Purchase”

Abstract

The use of essential oils (EOs) as natural preservatives may be useful to improve the safety of meat products, but the sensory impact is considered a main constraint. The current work evaluated the sensory impact of seven EOs at three concentrations (0.005, 0.05 and 0.5%) in the manufacture of dry-cured chouriço de vinho. The results showed that garlic EO at 0.005% was most acceptable. However, a decreased acceptability was observed for all other EOs at 0.005%, as well as at higher concentrations. The adequacy of the aromatic intensity, which was assessed by the just-about-right (JAR) scale, showed that garlic or bay EOs at 0.005% in chouriço was considered ideal for more than half of the consumers who participated in the study. The likelihood of chouriço consumption decreased as the levels of EO increased. Practical Application The use of essential oils (EOs) in meat products could be useful for meat processing companies to improve the safety of their products. The current work assesses the sensory impact of selected EOs used in a dry-cured sausage through different methods. The application of EOs at 0.005% slightly decreased the acceptance of consumers, although hedonic appreciation was always above the middle of the scale. The high negative sensory impact of higher EO levels reveals them to be unusable.