E.Anthony Hunter

Sensory evaluation of Cheddar cheese: Order of tasting and carryover effects

Abstract Order of tasting and carryover effects of Cheddar cheese have been evaluated during a sensory study of the cheese. These effects are of such magnitude as to cause serious biases in judgements on the acceptability of cheese samples. The influence of order of tasting and carryover effects can be minimised and their magnitude estimated by application of well-proven principles of experimental design.

A comparison of the flavour and texture of Cheddar cheese of factory or farmhouse origin

Diversity in the flavour and texture of Cheddar cheese was studied in 34 samples of factory or farmhouse origin. Sensory profiles were measured using an integrated Design, Data capture and Sensory Profiling Protocol (DDASPP). The main differences in character of the cheese were between the sub-set of farmhouse cheeses manufactured from raw milk and cheese made from pasteurised milk. Raw milk cheese was more intensely flavoured than conventional product, but was notable for elevated ratings for atypical flavours such as rancid, bitter and unclean. In general, farmhouse cheese showed excessively wide variations in composition which were also associated with atypical flavour or texture. Within factory-made products there was little distinction between samples of Scottish, English, Irish and Canadian origin. However, mature samples of New Zealand Cheddar were of a slightly different character. No strong relations between the sensory properties and composition of the cheese could be deduced. Nevertheless, as expected, the extent of proteolysis and moisture in non-fat solids content of the samples were associated with differences in flavour and texture.

Comparison of methods of analysis of time-intensity data: application to Scotch malt whisky

Time-intensity (TI) data typically consist of assessments at 1 s intervals of a set of samples by a panel of assessors. Some means of summarising the data must be found, and the data must be represented in a way which allows comparisons between samples. Parameters such as maximum intensity, time to maximum, and total duration are typically used and samples compared by analysis of variance. Thirteen assessors scored sweet taste intensity for 60 s, for 20 whisky samples drawn from 5 types of cask after 4 maturation times. Scaling and then averaging of the transformed data provided the best summary, and ante-dependence modelling showed that the intensity value at each time-point of the curve was dependent on the previous five time-points. Small effects of cask type and maturation time were found on sweet taste in whisky samples.

Genotypic effects on sensory profiles of drinks made from juice of red raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.)

Abstract Juice drinks made from 31 red raspberry genotypes (Rubus idaeus L.) representing a cross section of the germplasm from the breeding programme at the Scottish Crop Research Institute and one culitvar from North America were evaluated using methods previously applied to blackcurrant sensory evaluation. These sensory methods significantly differentiate among red raspberry genotypes for appearance, aroma and flavour of the juice drinks. Red colour, richness and natural were important discriminators for appearance. Overall intensity, fruity, sweet, floral, perfumed, and natural were the important discriminators of aroma and flavour. Aroma and flavour were also highly correlated (r=0.89; p≤0.001). Aftertaste and mouth-feel were less important discriminators possibly as a result of prior selection for acceptable fresh-fruit characteristics in these red raspberry genotypes or the effects of processing. The discriminating attributes should be useful characters for the assessment of genotypic variation and selection of superior juice drink genotypes.