Characterization of Pulse-Containing Cakes Using Sensory Evaluation and Instrumental Analysis

Despite the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses, their incorporation into bakery products has been impeded by their characteristic off-flavour. This study characterizes five pulses (faba bean, chickpea, whole lentil, split pea and pinto bean) in a cake application with a 40% wheat flour substitution, alongside a control cake. Physicochemical analysis and sensory analysis using a consumer panel (n = 124) and instrumental analysis (GC E-nose) were conducted. The liking scores for the pulse-containing cakes were significantly lower compared to the control cake, but half of the participants preferred a pulse-containing cake, indicating their market potential. Both instrumental analysis and sensory evaluation identified the chickpea and faba bean cakes as most similar to the control, while the pea cake was the most divergent. This cake was described as beany and grassy by consumers, negatively affecting the overall acceptance. Consumers in the sensory study had difficulties in distinguishing between the chickpea and faba bean cakes. Similarly, based on the volatile profiles, the chickpea and faba bean cakes demonstrated the closest relationship. The alignment between sensory data and E-nose results supports the added value of instrumental techniques such as the GC E-nose in sensory research.

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.

Combination of the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) Method and Just-About-Right (JAR) Scale to Evaluate Korean Traditional Rice Wine (Yakju)

This study aimed to compare a variant of the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method, CATA with just-about-right (JAR) scales (CATA-JAR), with the CATA and rate-all-that-apply (RATA) methods for evaluating 12 Korean traditional rice wines (yakju). All consumers (n = 312) assessed each sample on a 9-point hedonic scale and were asked to fill out the CATA, RATA, or CATA-JAR questionnaire using a 5-point JAR scale. The frequency and percentage of terms with significant differences among CATA-JAR samples were significantly higher than those for the CATA method. The regression vector (RV) between the sample and term configurations of the three methods were all over 0.84, indicating that all methods were similar in terms of product and term usage. Regarding the stability of the sample configurations, CATA-JAR could derive a stable value with the lowest number of consumers (n = 25). For the CATA-JAR method, significant penalties for each attribute and product were successfully calculated using the t-test and bootstrapping technique, to identify any attribute detrimental to liking for each product. Overall, considering its better performance in discriminating products and stability, the CATA-JAR method may be used when comparing samples with subtle differences in attributes.