Specific Sensory Characteristics Research Articles

Sensory evaluation of Protected Designation of origin Wines: Development of olfactive descriptive profile and references

Wines covered by PDO or PGI quality labels have specific sensory characteristics. According to EU regulations, product characteristics (including the sensory description) must be defined in the PDO technical specification and should be verified for their compliance. There exist internationally harmonized quantitative descriptive sensory methods applied to products such as virgin olive oil, with well-defined attributes described in the method itself. Currently, in the case of wine, there is no harmonized international sensory descriptive method that allows comparison of results between different PDOs or laboratories. In this work, a qualitative and quantitative olfactory profile for a broad variety of wines (11 PDO and 37 wine types) and their corresponding reference standards are proposed. The sensory profile obtained can be used both to verify compliance with the technical specifications of the product and to categorize wines by type or region, thus becoming a powerful tool for the wine sector.

From Traditional Dairy Product "Katak" to Beneficial Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains.

Traditional milk products, widely consumed in many countries for centuries, have been drawing renewed attention in recent years as sources of bacteria with possible bioprotective properties. One such product for which only limited information exists is the traditional Bulgarian "katak". This fermented yogurt-like product, renowned for its taste and long-lasting properties, possesses specific sensory characteristics. In this study, 18 lactic acid bacteria (LABs) were isolated from artisanal samples made in the Northwest part of Bulgaria. A polyphasic taxonomic approach combining classical phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods, such as multiplex PCR, 16S rDNA sequencing, and MALDI-TOF MS, was applied, leading to the identification of 13 strains. The dominance of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was confirmed. In vitro tests with the identified strains in model systems showed a promising broad strain-specific spectrum of activity against food-borne and human pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli). Non-purified Lactobacillus postbiotics, produced during fermentation in skimmed and soya milks and in MRS broth, were estimated as limiting agents of virulence factors. The LAB's production of lactate, acetate, and butyrate is a promising probiotic feature. A further characterization of the active strains and analysis of the purified post-metabolites are needed and are still in progress.

Sensory Mapping of UHT Milk with Single-Origin Chocolate

Like coffee, the popularity of speciality chocolate flavour or single-origin chocolate is growing in the Indonesian market. At the same time, sensory characteristic of the chocolate flavors is becoming more important, affecting both the taste and marketing of food product with chocolate flavor. As such, this study aims to describe UHT milk with single-origin chocolate through a complete sensory attribute mapping. A focus group discussion (FGD) resulted 15 texture attributes, 11 need-state attributes, 15 music attributes, 17 emotion attributes, 11 flavor attributes, and additional 70 color attributes. The complete sensory mapping test was performed using the CATA method based on attributes obtained from the FGD and analyzed using XLSTAT. The resulting product descriptions are as follows: cocoa Flores products were associated with soft and light textures, a need to focus and provide energy, pleasant classical and pop music, relaxed and warm emotions, flavors of ice cream, and light green, purple and brown colors. Cocoa Bali was linked to a smooth but rather hard texture, a need for rest and exercise, a cheerful musical style, happy emotions, a biscuit flavor, and a pink-yellow color. Cocoa Aceh was correlated with smooth and soft textures, state-of-the-art rest, energetic music, relaxed and energetic emotions, creamy flavor, and blue color. Meanwhile, cocoa Java was attributed with a smooth but rather hard texture, a state-of-the-art mood booster, cheerful music, relaxed emotions, ice cream flavor, and red-brown color. Thus, understanding specific sensory characteristics enables the producer to improve the product's development and marketing.

Sensory Profile on Robusta Coffee by Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA)

Coffee flavor strongly influences consumers preference. Geographical location is one factor influencing the flavor of Robusta coffee. Descriptive sensory using RATA was used to differentiate the sensory profiles of several Robusta coffees. Sensomic approach by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) success- fully differentiated Robusta coffee from Jember Regency, East Java, Indonesia. It showed that Robusta from different growing locations has specific sensory characteristics. Robusta coffee from Gunung Malang, Tanggul, and Pakis was characterized by sweet and acid aromas, while coffee from Kemiri was characterized by sweet and sour taste, brown color, bitter aroma, and rough mouthfeel. Meanwhile Sidomulyo I and Sidomulyo II coffees, which were grown near each other and at similar altitudes, have similar characteristics, although the process was different. Both coffees have bitter aftertastes and bodies, burnt aromas, astringent flavors, and high levels of bitterness. In contrast, Robusta Rowosari, Tugusari, and Badean were characterized by low sweetness, sourness, bitter aroma, and rough mouthfeel.

A sensory characterization of some N‐heterocycles in model spirit matrix: Influence of ethanol and several chemical features on aroma perception

AbstractThe qualitative spirit ageing bouquet, developed during maturation in oak casks through a complex transformation process, can result in a broad palette of nuances where roasted and nutty aromas are often identified. Nitrogen heterocycles (pyrazines, thiazoles, pyrroles), produced during the heating step of the barrel‐manufacturing, contribute to the perception of these nuances. However, their specific sensory characteristics within the spirit matrix have been poorly studied until now. The current study consisted in an overall olfactory characterization of nine targeted N‐heterocycles molecules previously identified in oak wood and detected in spirits. In a first step, the olfactory perception thresholds (detection and recognition) were measured in a spirit model medium (23% hydroalcoholic solution, pH 4), revealing that the presence of ethanol at such level minimally affected the olfactory perception of the studied compounds. A first sensory description of the set of N‐heterocycles also highlighted a large spectrum of aromatic nuances, mostly related to the semantic field of wood (nut, roasted, smoky, spicy). In a second step, a profile of the key aromatic attributes of the studied molecules was compiled, on the basis of their corresponding intensity scores given by a trained expert panel. Principal Component Analysis followed by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis categorized the pool of N‐heterocycles according to their sensory similarities. The presence of ethanol in spirit model matrix did not affect detection and recognition thresholds of studied N‐heterocycles. Wood‐derived nuances accounted among the most representative aromas characterized the studied N‐heterocycles. Functionals groups carried out by the chemical ring modified the aromatic perception of N‐heterocycles.

Understanding Young Taiwanese Consumers' Acceptance, Sensory Profile, and Drivers of Liking for GABA Oolong Tea Beverages with Cold Infusions.

The sensory qualities of Taiwanese teas are evaluated by the experts from the Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES) at tea competitions held annually. The prices of Taiwanese teas are also influenced by the results of these tea competitions. However, a tea winning an award and having a high sensory quality and price does not mean that it is liked by Taiwanese consumers. The check all that apply method (CATA) is a scientific method of sensory evaluation. It is able to evaluate the sensory characteristics with consumers and is cheap and time-saving. Twelve samples of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) Oolong tea made by the Taiwan Tea No. 12 cultivar were selected from the first Taiwanese GABA tea competition in 2020. The aim of this research was to study young Taiwanese consumers’ acceptability for GABA Oolong tea infusions, and their opinions towards the sensory qualities of teas through questionnaires composed of CATA questions and hedonic scales. Based on the results, the CATA method identified 21 important descriptive terms for GABA tea that were selected by over 20% of consumers. It was found that the consumers like GABA Oolong teas with 13 specific sensory characteristics, but dislike the ones with another 6 specific sensory characteristics. We conjecture that the different process of tea production will affect consumers’ preference for GABA Oolong tea. Overall, GABA Oolong tea has the same delightful sensory characteristics as traditional Taiwanese specialty Oolong teas, and is liked by the young Taiwanese consumers.

Consumer segmentation based on product-elicited emotional associations: Case studies using the circumplex-inspired valence × arousal emotion word questionnaire (CEQ)

Product-focused emotion research remains popular and continues to advance, both with respect to product insights and methods for obtaining these. The present research primarily contributes to the latter by showcasing consumer segmentation based on product-elicited emotional associations obtained using the circumplex-inspired valence × arousal single-response emotion word questionnaire (CEQ). This gives rise to three-way data, where responses from each consumer can be represented by a matrix of p products × 12 emotion word pairs. A multi-study (n = 6) strategy was pursued in the present research, with 197 to 1014 people per study. Four of the six studies used tasted products and two studies used written stimuli (i.e., names of foods and beverages). For each study two or three emotion-based clusters were retained, and the differences between these could be classified into three patterns: i) differences in the emotional associations with specific sensory characteristics (tasted products); ii) differences in the emotional associations of the category (tasted products); and iii) differences mainly driven by liking (written stimuli). Fitting expectations, differences between emotion-based clusters within a study extended beyond the insights gained from liking scores. Taken together, the results from the six case studies suggest that consumer segmentation based on emotional responses deserves further exploration.

Unravelling the potential of cricket-based hydrolysed sourdough on the quality of an innovative bakery product

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the potential of a sourdough containing cricket powder hydrolysate by the RO25 Yarrowia lipolytica strain to produce an innovative bakery product. RO25 hydrolysed cricket bread (RO25H-CB) was compared with control bread obtained from a traditional sourdough using wheat flour and with an additional bread control obtained from no-hydrolysed cricket powder sourdough. The results obtained showed that RO25H-CB had a highest amount of proteins and free fatty acids than wheat control bread, attributed to the well-known proteolytic and lipolytic activities of Y. lipolytica. Moreover, RO25H-CB sample was characterised by high content of health-promoting and aroma precursors lipids as well as a lowest biogenic amine index among samples analysed, suggesting for this sample a high overall quality respect to no hydrolysed cricket powder bread. Finally, the data relating the sensory analysis highlighted good application opportunities for RO25 cricket hydrolysate as ingredients for baking. In fact, RO25H-CB had received positive evaluations for almost all the parameters considered. These results demonstrated that hydrolysates from Y. lipolytica, compared to the no hydrolysed cricket, were able to impart specific sensory and qualitative characteristics to the final product, with positive feedback from the involved panellists.

Single Origin Coffee Aroma: From Optimized Flavor Protocols and Coffee Customization to Instrumental Volatile Characterization and Chemometrics.

In this study, the aroma profile of 10 single origin Arabica coffees originating from eight different growing locations, from Central America to Indonesia, was analyzed using Headspace SPME-GC-MS as the analytical method. Their roasting was performed under temperature–time conditions, customized for each sample to reach specific sensory brew characteristics in an attempt to underline the customization of roast profiles and implementation of separate roastings followed by subsequent blending as a means to tailor cup quality. A total of 138 volatile compounds were identified in all coffee samples, mainly furan (~24–41%) and pyrazine (~25–39%) derivatives, many of which are recognized as coffee key odorants, while the main formation mechanism was the Maillard reaction. Volatile compounds’ composition data were also chemometrically processed using the HCA Heatmap, PCA and HCA aiming to explore if they meet the expected aroma quality attributes and if they can be an indicator of coffee origin. The desired brew characteristics of the samples were satisfactorily captured from the volatile compounds formed, contributing to the aroma potential of each sample. Furthermore, the volatile compounds presented a strong variation with the applied roasting conditions, meaning lighter roasted samples were efficiently differentiated from darker roasted samples, while roasting degree exceeded the geographical origin of the coffee. The coffee samples were distinguished into two groups, with the first two PCs accounting for 73.66% of the total variation, attributed mainly to the presence of higher quantities of furans and pyrazines, as well as to other chemical classes (e.g., dihydrofuranone and phenol derivatives), while HCA confirmed the above results rendering roasting conditions as the underlying criterion for differentiation.

Sensory characterisation of wines without added sulfites via specific and adapted sensory profile

Aim: In the few past years, consumer expectation has shifted toward low-additive foodstuffs. In the wine industry, this has been evidenced by the development of wines without any added SO2 during the winemaking process, including bottling. This has also led to the development of alternative methods to replace SO2 for winemaking, which, alongside the dearth of studies on these new production methods, raises the question of the sensorial impact of sulfites and sulfite alternatives on wines after aging.Methods and results: Wines were made from Merlot N. grapes at two different maturity levels, with or without SO2 addition throughout the whole process. From the same batch, wines were also produced with bioprotection applied to the harvest only as an alternative to SO2. Sensory evaluation was performed after two years of aging, with the development of specific and adapted training methods to determine the sensory profile of the wines. In this way, a high sensory proximity between wines without SO2 (whether produced with bioprotection or not) was highlighted, and they were described as significantly different from wines with SO2. Conclusion: This approach demonstrated that, for expert tasters and despite the use of bioprotection, wines without SO2 had specific sensory characteristics compared to wines with SO2.Significance of the study: This study was a first sensory step towards characterising wines produced without any added SO2. In future work, it could be used to highlight chemical compounds associated with sensory descriptors discriminating between them.

Utilização de farinhas alternativas em produtos de panificação: uma revisão literária

Objetivou-se no presente estudo identificar e descrever artigos científicos encontrados na literatura sobre utilização de farinhas alternativas em produtos de panificação, com identificação dos ingredientes mais utilizados nestas substituições. Pesquisou-se artigos científicos disponíveis em bases de dados como SciELO, Lilacs, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct e Google Acadêmico. Utilizando-se apenas de estudos que foram publicados nos idiomas inglês e português. No processo de busca foram utilizados termos representativos do projeto de pesquisa, sendo eles: farinhas alternativas, panificação e pão. Foram utilizados 42 artigos publicados entre 2003 e 2020. As farinhas de arroz, banana, cevada, ervilha e chia proporcionaram aos produtos de panificação potencialização das características sensoriais, tecno-funcionais e nutricionais, sem comprometer a qualidade final dos produtos de panificação e por muitas vezes trazendo benefícios à saúde do consumidor. É de comum acordo entre os pesquisadores que existe uma alternativa na utilização destas farinhas não convencionais na indústria de panificação, pois dependendo do tipo de processamento, características das farinhas e porcentagem de substituição, que pode ser total ou parcial, proporcionaria às massas funcionalidades que muitas vezes são superiores aos de produtos que utilizam a farinha de trigo convencional.

Varietal classification of white wines by fluorescence spectroscopy.

The Slovak Tokaj region is one of the producers of high-quality white wine having protected designations of origin. The main grape varieties of this region are Furmint, Lipovina and Muscat blanc, which have specific sensory characteristics. This research work presents astrategy for the classification of three mentioned varieties of white wines using fluorescence spectroscopy with chemometrics. Emission and synchronous fluorescence spectra were obtained for bulk as well as diluted samples, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied for exploratory analysis and the scores of the selected PCs were used in linear discriminant analysis (LDA). For undiluted samples, the best PCA-LDA models based on either emission spectra excited at 370nm or synchronous fluorescence spectra obtained at wavelength difference of 40 and 100nm provided total correct classifications of 100, 100 and 93% for the calibration, validation and prediction steps, respectively. For diluted samples, the best PCA-LDA models (excitation at 280nm; wavelength difference of 40nm) again provided total correct classifications as mentioned above.

Sensory properties of supercritical CO2 fractions extracted from Magnum hop essential oil

Hop oil fractions with unique sensory characteristics can be extracted from hop essential oil using green solvents such as supercritical (sc) CO2. These extracts meet clean label requirements and can be used to manage fluctuations in volatile composition caused by global warming. A sensory descriptive analysis approach was applied to assess the sensory profiles of Magnum hop oil and five scCO2 fractions. Ten sensory panellists were trained and used to establish an attribute lexicon. All samples, a control, and an experimental replicate were evaluated at 800 μg/L in ethanol (4% abv) in triplicate. Data were analysed by three-factor Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test (HSD). Volatile compounds were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Relationships between the volatile compounds and sensory profiles were analysed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. In contrast to the majority of fractions, the total oil (the most complex sample) and the sesquiterpene fraction (as the largest chemical group in the total oil) were not described by any key sensory attributes. This illustrates the advantage of hop oil fractionation to pull out specific sensory characteristics. The β-myrcene in the myrcene fraction induced an intense ‘crushed grass, sap’ aroma while the fractions containing several geranyl and methyl esters and ketones were characterised by fruity- and floral-type aroma and flavour attributes. Interestingly, the most polar fraction comprising of terpene alcohols delivered a complex sensory experience by adding sweetness. Moreover, a trigeminal ‘peppery tingling’ sensation was detected, which is likely to be caused by sensory interactions. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of the Institute of Brewing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

Spent coffee grounds cookies: Sensory and texture characteristics, proximate composition, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) represent an environmental problem, although their composition makes them an interesting, re-valuable product to be incorporated in food. In this work, texture characteristics, proximate composition, total phenolic compounds (TPCs) content, and antioxidant activity were evaluated in cookies added with SCG (0.0, 10.0, 17.5 and 25.0 g/100 g). Intensity of specific sensory characteristics in cookies added with SCG was evaluated by 131 consumers using the just-about-right scale. Texture characteristics were not affected by SCG content. Crude fiber, fat, ash and TPC content increased with the increment of SCG in cookies (p < .01). All the cookies added with SCG were pleasant for consumers, although cookies with 17.5 g SCG /100 g were preferred (p < .05). Intensity of coffee flavor and granulosity seemed to determine its acceptance. Adding 17.5 and 25.0 g SCG/100 g in cookies allows to obtain a product acceptable for consumers, considered as dietary fiber source. Practical applications Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are considered an underutilized by-product by its high content of fiber and presence of antioxidant compounds. During development of functional foods, it is recommendable that the product shows an attractive composition, but also enjoyable sensory characteristics, which make it acceptable for consumers. Inclusion of SCG in cookies is a viable alternative for adding value to this by-product, reducing waste, and, at the same time, obtaining an interesting, functional food.

Suivi qualitatif de l’évolution de 120 enfants porteurs de troubles du spectre autistique pris en charge par la méthode des 3i

AimThe 3i intervention is a developmental play-therapy method that considers that children with Autism Spectrum disorders (ASD) present an altered developmental process. It aims to help the child progress along a natural developmental path. Each developmental deficit is dealt with successively, with full attention to the specific sensory characteristics of each child. The method is based on Intensive Individual Interaction (the 3Is) of the child with adults. The 3i intervention is managed by the parents and selected care-givers, 5 to 6hours per day, 7 days per week, to favor constant stimulation of the child. A key characteristic of the 3i method is the intervention of numerous selected care-givers, each contributing their preferred way of playing with the child and their enthusiasm. These selected care-givers are mostly non-professionals in the field of ASD. They undergo preliminary screening and receive initial training before interacting with the child in the playroom. They subsequently participate each month in a group session with the other participants, together with the parents, under the supervision of a trained psychologist. GoalThe main objective of this retrospective study was to assess the development of communication and social skills among children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), treated with the 3i method for 2 years. Methods120 subjects who pursued the 3i method for 24 months were included in this study, on the basis of their individual files kept by the psychologist, who conducted the monthly meeting with professionals during the implementation of the 3i method. The psychologist rated six indicators (Imitation, Gaze Quality, Social and Emotional Regulation, Verbal Expression, Non-Verbal Expression and Verbal Comprehension) from 1 to 3 (1: not acquired; 2: partially acquired and 3: competence acquired). Thus a developmental acquisition stage or score was allocated to each patient at the beginning of 3i Method and 24 months later. ResultsFor each indicator, the statistical analysis showed that the group of patients significantly increased their skills over the 24 months of the 3i method. On average, the patients reached a higher level of skills in four of the six skill areas. There was a relatively greater increase in the skills relating to imitation and non-verbal communication. DiscussionBeyond the limitations arising from the retrospective nature of the study, which used a non-standardized assessment scale, these results are consistent with a previous prospective study on 20 subjects using international standardized instruments. These results suggest that disabilities related to autism spectrum disorders decrease as a result of a 3i intervention, enabling better daily-life interaction with parents and as a second step better integration in school with peers. ConclusionThis method could reduce the intensity of the autistic syndrome and improve the ability of ASD children to interact with their environment.

Sensory product characterisations based on check-all-that-apply questions: Further insights on how the static (CATA) and dynamic (TCATA) approaches perform.

Check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions have become one of the most popular methods for sensory characterisation with consumers. Temporal CATA (TCATA) is an extension of the former that takes into account the dynamic nature of sensory perception. The aim of the present work was to expand the methodological comparison of CATA and TCATA questions, considering the characterisation of solid products that undergo substantial oral processing when consumed. Five studies involving a total of 731 consumers were conducted with different product categories: dried apricots, peas, cheese, bread and milk chocolate. A between-subjects experimental design was used to compare the static and dynamic versions of CATA questions. For comparison purposes, TCATA data were analysed as CATA by collapsing the data into four fixed time intervals (quarters). The four quarters of TCATA were compared to results from CATA considering the frequency of use of the terms, sample discrimination, and product configurations. The temporal aspect of TCATA did not largely modify the average citation proportion of terms or the maximum citation proportion for individual terms. Significant differences among samples were established for most of the terms in both CATA and TCATA evaluations, albeit some subtle differences between the two methods were found. These differences were dependent on the product category and the specific sensory characteristics that were relevant for describing the focal samples. The largest differences were found for Study 5 (milk chocolate), for which TCATA identified a few additional insights on the evolution of similarities and differences among samples. However, in most cases general findings were virtually identical for both methodological approaches. In light of these results, the extra effort of using a dynamic sensory characterisation method compared to a static one, may, in many instances, not be warranted.

Cheese: Food Perception and Food Choice.

In light of the increasing interest in the economic and socio-political impact of the 'traditional food' trend, it is essential to understand the determinant factors that lead to traditional consumer choices. The standardization of sensory quality evaluation methods marks the pressing need for food product certification, particularly foods with specific sensory characteristics, such as those with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Consumer perception of particular foods, especially for foods that are culturally and socially contingent, such as cheese, must be understood as both a psychophysical reflex and a learned social practice. Consumers create their own perceptions based on the overall intrinsic or extrinsic cheese characteristics, mainly sensory characteristics that reflect others' attributes. These characteristics are normally linked to the specific cheese manufacture process. Some patents propose the use of adapted cheesemaking equipment (EP1982582A2), suitable for the manufacture of small-scale cheeses, such as some PDO cheese. Thus, sensory evaluation of any kind of cheese is based, in the initial phase, on knowledge of the sensory methods for cheese evaluation and, in a second phase, on the familiarity of the cheese characteristics and verbalization of desirable and undesirable attributes. This paper presents a case study based on the traditional food product, Évora cheese, assembled with PDO cheeses, whose sensory and physicochemical quality attributes are essential in order to obtain this designation and ensure the genuine properties that characterize them, as well as ascertaining exactly how they are perceived and further accepted by the consumer.

TRPM8 and TRPA1 do not contribute to dental pulp sensitivity to cold

Sensory neurons innervating the dental pulp have unique morphological and functional characteristics compared to neurons innervating other tissues. Stimulation of dental pulp afferents whatever the modality or intensity of the stimulus, even light mechanical stimulation that would not activate nociceptors in other tissues, produces an intense pain. These specific sensory characteristics could involve receptors of the Transient Receptor Potential channels (TRP) family. In this study, we compared the expression of the cold sensitive receptors TRPM8 and TRPA1 in trigeminal ganglion neurons innervating the dental pulp, the skin of the cheek or the buccal mucosa and we evaluated the involvement of these receptors in dental pulp sensitivity to cold. We showed a similar expression of TRPM8, TRPA1 and CGRP in sensory neurons innervating the dental pulp, the skin or the mucosa. Moreover, we demonstrated that noxious cold stimulation of the tooth induced an overexpression of cFos in the trigeminal nucleus that was not prevented by the genetic deletion of TRPM8 or the administration of the TRPA1 antagonist HC030031. These data suggest that the unique sensory characteristics of the dental pulp are independent to TRPM8 and TRPA1 receptors expression and functionality.

Does consumer liking fit the sensory quality assessed by trained panelists in traditional food products? A study on PDO Idiazabal cheese

The aim of this work was to study the degree of agreement between consumer liking and the sensory quality scored by the trained panel in charge of the quality control of a traditional product (PDO Idiazabal cheese). Nine cheeses of different qualities were evaluated by eight trained assessors and by 212 consumers from Vitoria‐Gasteiz (Basque Country). Cheese samples were clearly different regarding overall sensory quality (OSQ) assessed by the trained panel. Regarding consumers, five groups with different correlation levels with OSQ were identified: “sweet” and “toasty” were the main sensory drivers leading the liking of the consumers with a higher positive correlation, whereas some defective characteristics (“animal,” “rancid,” and “bitter”) were the main drivers for consumers with higher negative correlation. These results suggest that it would be interesting for the Regulatory Council to strength the communicational strategies among consumers to be able to identify the typical and nontypical (mainly defects) characteristics of this traditional product, especially among those liking defective cheeses.Practical applicationsThis study gives information about the degree of agreement concerning the sensory quality of a traditional product reached by a trained panel and by consumers' preferences. The research includes information regarding the sensory characteristics which drive liking among different groups of consumers. These results are of interest for the Regulatory Council of this product to define its marketing polices and consumer‐oriented education activities in order to provide information about the specific sensory characteristics of the product. Moreover, it may be interesting for PDO Regulatory Councils and other producers of traditional products in order to be more aware about the possible agreement and/or disagreement between the sensory quality of the product and consumer preferences.

Novel Approach to the Development of Functional Goat's Milk-Based Beverages Using Medicinal Plant Extracts in Combination with High Intensity Ultrasound Treatment.

Regardless of its highly valuable nutritive composition, goat's milk is less preferred by consumers due to its specific sensory characteristics that are very often regarded as undesirable. On the other hand, traditional medicinal plants from Lamiaceae family, due to their rich bioactive composition, especially polyphenols, and desirable aroma profile, can be used to enhance and improve bioactive and sensory properties of food. In the present study nutritively valuable beverages were produced by enrichment of goat's milk with medicinal plant extracts derived from the Lamiaceae family and stabilized by homogenization with high intensity ultrasound treatment. The impact of plant species (lemon balm, mint, lavender, rosemary and sage) and ultrasound treatment duration (5 or 10 min) on the physicochemical, bioactive and sensory characteristics of enriched beverages was evaluated. The addition of plant extracts to goat's milk significantly increased the concentration of bioactive components (rosmarinic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and luteolin derivatives), in dependence of the added plant extract. The prolongation of the ultrasound homogenization markedly decreased the fat globule size and thus beneficially affected the product stability. Apart from the achieved bioactive enrichment and stability, the developed beverages exhibited significantly improved sensory properties in comparison to plain goat's milk, with the highest overall acceptability determined for samples enriched with mint and rosemary.