The taste of a food (sweet, salty, bitter, sour) is an important aspect determining consumer acceptance of a product ( Drewnowski 1997 ). Among these tastes, bitterness is the least desirable among consumers ( Drewnowski and Gomez-Carneros 2000
conducted at the Cornell Sensory Testing Facility. In the triangle test, panelists tasted three slices of apple (two from one treatment and one from the other) and were asked to identify the slice that was different from the other two ( Lawless and Heymann
-way analysis of variance in SAS 9.4 (SAS Inc., Cary, NC). The block was treated as a random effect. The normality of data were tested using Shapiro-Wilk test and homogeneity of variances was tested using Levene’s test. For laboratory and taste analysis
hedonic scale in which 1 = dislike extremely and 5 = like extremely. All samples were rated for the degree of color, taste, mouthfeel, odor, and overall acceptability. Testing antifungal properties of treatments Media preparation and pathogen isolation
indicates more willingness to taste fruits and vegetables, and vice versa. The reliability of this scale was tested by Greer et al. (2018) , and the reliability values of the vegetable and fruit items were, α = 0.9 and α = 0.88, respectively. Overall
Mature green tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. 674) were gassed with 160 to 275 μl/liter ethylene, depending upon the experiment, from either a Catalytic Generator or gas cylinder. Tomatoes were evaluated during subsequent ripening for fruit color development and taste. The combined results of two triangle difference taste tests indicated that the panel could tell a slight difference in taste of tomatoes based on gassing method. However, panelists did not reveal a strong preference for tomatoes from either method or consistently mention a certain characteristic that made the two groups of tomatoes different. Gas chromatographic analyses of the effluent from the Catalytic Generator indicated that several compounds other than ethylene were present.
Two surveys were conducted to assess consumer and professional chefs' perceptions of three edible-flower species. Our objectives were to determine opinions, preferences, and uses of Viola tricolor L. `Helen Mount' (viola), Borago officinalis L. (borage), and Tropaeolum majus L. `Jewel Mix' (nasturtium). Flowers were grown using certifiable organic methods and chosen to reflect a variety of flower tastes, textures, and appearances. We quantified three attributes (taste, fragrance, and visual appeal) with a total of seven semantic, differential scales adapted from a scaling authority. The attributes were rated as: visual—“appealing”, “desirable,” and “very interested in tasting”; fragrance—“appealing” and “pleasant”; and taste—“tasty” and “desirable”. Garden Day participants were self-selected to evaluate and taste flowers from a consumer perspective. When asked to rate the three species on visual appeal and desire, no less than 76% of consumers awarded all flowers an acceptable rating. We found similar results when consumers answered questions regarding the taste of two of the three species. Results from this study support our hypothesis that customers would rate edible flower attributes highly and would be likely to purchase and serve the three species tested. Members of the Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association participated in a similar survey. At least 66% of these chefs rated the three visual attributes and two fragrance attributes of viola and nasturtium acceptable. Chefs' ratings of the fragrance of borage as “appealing” and “pleasant” were higher than those of consumers, but the ratings were still low, 21% and 25%, respectively. Unlike consumers, chefs' ratings of the taste of viola as “appealing” and “desirable” were low (29% and 36%, respectively). We found some minor differences in ratings when groups were compared, using demographic variables as a basis for segmentation, indicating a homogenous marketing strategy may be employed.
Consumer testing and descriptive analysis were conducted on six commercial varieties of organically grown edamame-type soybean. In the affective tests, 54 panelists rated pods and beans for appearance, and beans for aroma, taste, texture, aftertaste, and overall acceptability on a 9-point hedonic scale and willingness to buy on a 9-point category scale. `Sayamusume' was liked significantly better than all varieties except `Kenko' and `Sapporo Midori' for taste. `Kenko' was also rated higher than `Sapporo Midori', `Misono Green', and `Early Hakucho' for pod appearance. `Misono Green' texture was liked less than that of all other varieties except `White Lion'. In the descriptive analysis, 10 trained panelists rated the beaniness, sweetness, nuttiness, and chewiness of the same six varieties. `Kenko' rated significantly sweeter than all other varieties except `Sapporo Midori'. `White Lion' rated as significantly lower in chewiness than all other varieties. Beaniness and nuttiness could not be consistently differentiated among varieties. The data suggest that consumer liking of bean taste varies, though subtly, among the six edamame varieties tested here and that preferences may differ with gender. Results from descriptive analysis also suggest that panelists relied on texture (i.e., chewiness) and sweetness to differentiate between varieties. These results are particularly important in overall product quality management strategies as chewiness and sweetness may be influenced by production practices and harvest timing.
Sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, or glucose/fructose in combination) were added to coarsely chopped, deodorized tomato puree, increasing the sugar level of the puree by 2% to 3%. Sugars (equal amounts of glucose and fructose) along with citric acid were also added to another puree, at two different levels, to create a range of sugar: acid ratios (4.88–19.07). This second puree was then spiked with two different levels of aroma volatiles, reported to affect tomato flavor, in order to understand the influence of the sugar: acid background on tomato aroma and taste perception. The tomato puree was presented to a trained panel and was rated for intensity of aroma and taste descriptors on a 15-cm unstructured line scale. For the puree spiked with sugars only, panelists detected differences for overall aroma, ripe aroma, overall taste, sweetness and sourness intensities (P< 0.15). Adding sweet sugars, like fructose and sucrose, resulted in decreased ratings for aroma descriptors, apparently detracting from panelists' perception of aroma. The sugar: acid ratio of the second tomato puree was found to correlate with perception of taste descriptors sweet (+), sour (–), bitter (–) (P< 0.05), and citrus (–) (P< 0.15) for most volatiles tested. Correlations were also found for the sugar: acid ratio with overall aftertaste (–) when the puree was spiked with furanol, trans-2-hexenal, geranylacetone, or acetaldehyde; fruity (+) with β-ionone and linalool; and tropical (+) with cis-3-hexenal and geranylacetone (P< 0.15). The study suggests that increasing taste factors, like sweetness, result in decreased perception of tomato aroma in general, and affect how aroma compounds influence sensory descriptors.
Some Maine tomato growers use unheated greenhouses or high tunnels to extend the short growing season. But, what varieties should growers choose? The objective of this trial was to test varieties of greenhouse and open field tomatoes to identify the best performers in high tunnels in terms of yield, quality, disease, and taste. Results showed that both open field and greenhouse varieties produced similar and acceptable yields of high quality marketable fruit. Open field varieties showed more disease than greenhouse varieties. There were some significant differences between individual varieties. Betterboy scored highest in sensory analysis, but lowest in yield/quality. Brilliante scored poorly on marketable yields, but well in terms of premium yields, quality, disease and taste. It may be well suited for direct marketing to repeat customers (e.g., farmers' markets). For commercial production Jet Star, Brilliante, Cobra, and First Lady II appear to be good choices based on overall scores.