Table 1.
Sensory attributes and definitions for descriptive sensory analysis. This information was available for each panelist during evaluation.
| Name of Attribute | Definition | How to Determine | Reference Material | Minimal and Maximal Specifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension: Appearance | ||||
| Color intensity | intensity of color on the surface | color intensity on the surface | bright/pale to dark | |
| Fibrousness | size of visible fibers on the surface | evaluation on the surface | single hair (minimum), bundles on the picture (7), rough bundles (maximum) | no visible (hair) to clearly visible fibers bundles (rough bundles) |
| Elasticity/springiness | ability to recover into original form after being pressed with a fork | press the entire surface with the fork | soft cheese (minimum), toast (middle), wine gum (maximum) | inelastic (shows imprints like soft cheese) to toast to highly elastic (springs back like wine gum) |
| Dimension: Smell | ||||
| Intensity of smell | overall intensity of smell | fork the sample and evaluate the smell on the bottom side | weak to very intensive | |
| ‘Stable-like’ smell | intensity of smell like dung/animals/housing | skatole, NH3 | not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| ‘Metallic/blood-like’ smell | intensity of smell like metal or blood | blood, iron, old money | not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| ‘Meaty’ smell (cooked chicken) |
intensity of smell like cooked meat, especially poultry meat | chicken broth, bouillon | not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| Dimension: Taste and Flavor | ||||
| Intensity of taste | overall intensity of taste | evaluation after seven to ten chews with closed mouth | weak to very intensive | |
| Sweet taste | intensity of sweetness | 2.1 g saccharose (middle); 4.2 g saccharose (maximum) |
not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| Sour taste | intensity of sour taste | 0.14 g citric acid; 0.28 g citric (high, 80%) |
not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| Bitter taste | intensity of bitterness | 0.115 g caffeine (middle); 0.21 g caffeine (maximum) |
not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| ‘Metallic, blood-like’ taste | intensity of metallic or blood-like taste (fresh drip loss) | iron sulfate, blood, ‘Kräuterblut’ |
not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| ‘Meaty’ taste (cooked chicken) |
intensity of meaty taste (like cooked chicken) | chicken broth | not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| Dimension: Aftertaste | ||||
| Intensity of aftertaste | allover-intensity of aftertaste | evaluation 5 s after swallowing | not perceivable to highly perceivable | |
| Dimension: Texture | ||||
| Firmness/consistency | power, to divide the sample with the incisors | use your incisors and start biting on the surface to bite a 1 cm-piece off | soft cheese (minimum), Gouda cheese (middle), carrot/Werthers Original Bonbon (maximum) | soft (incisors cut easily through the sample) to firm (sample crushes) |
| Juiciness | amount of juice while chewing | chewing with the molars for two to three times | Banana (minimum), cucumber (middle), mandarin (maximum) | not juicy to highly juicy |
| Adhesiveness | coherence while chewing and adhesion to the molars | chewing with the molars for two to three times | cucumber (minimum), gouda cheese (middle), toffee-bonbon/dry fruit (maximum) | not adhesive to highly adhesive |
| Crumbliness | amount of particles existing before swallowing and rate for coherence | evaluation of the particles/fibers | mash (minimum), gouda cheese (middle), shortbread (maximum) | not crumbly to crumbly |
| Tenderness | power needed to chew | chewing until swallowing | jerky meat (minimum), seasoned apricot (maximum | chewy to tender |