The Consumer, Sensory & Market Insights team at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario, Canada, has developed a descriptive lexicon for fresh strawberries, including a list of sensory descriptors (aroma, flavor, taste and texture), aroma references and definitions to describe the profile of fresh strawberries.
Their research involved strawberries, but a similar approach can be applied to other berry types, says program leader Amy Bowen.
Strawberry taste-testing
During the evaluation, the research center’s trained sensory panelists evaluated strawberries using their descriptive lexicon.
A profiling exercise included two field-grown Ontario strawberries, a greenhouse-grown Ontario strawberry and an imported strawberry from the U.S.
Participants tasted the strawberries blind under red lighting, and the fruit was identified with a three-digit code to avoid bias.
All varieties were purchased commercially.
The descriptive lexicon Aroma/flavor attributes: overall aroma and taste, citrus, floral, grassy, fermented, honey Taste attributes: sweet, acidic, bitter, astringent Texture attributes: firm, granular flesh, seedy, juicy The results There was a trend of higher overall aroma and taste for the Ontario field-grown strawberries. The greenhouse-grown strawberries were distinct with a tart acidity and lower overall aromatic and taste profile. The U.S. imported strawberries were higher in fermented aroma and had lower acidity. How to use this research “Full descriptive sensory profiles, similar to the ones generated in this pilot study, are key to understanding the sensory diversity in your product set,” Bowen explains. “This knowledge is useful for marketing, product positioning and variety selection in production and variety development. Results can also be correlated with consumer acceptance to understand the sensory drivers that impact liking.”
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