Table 1.
Sensory attributes, reference materials, and their corresponding intensities, used for the descriptive analysis of almonds.
| Descriptor | Definition | Reference ‡ | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance | |||
| Color | The intensity of color from light to dark | L* = 51.3; a* = 20.6; b* = 38.8 | 1.0 |
| L* = 51.3; a* = 20.6; b* = 38.8 | 5.0 | ||
| L* = 51.3; a* = 20.6; b* = 38.8 | 10.0 | ||
| Size | The visual width of the of the almond from side to side | 8–9 mm | 1.0 |
| 13–14 mm | 5.0 | ||
| 17–18 mm | 9.0 | ||
| Roughness | The number of hills and valleys perceived by the human eye on the almond surface (visual measured) | 0% | 1.0 |
| 50% | 5.0 | ||
| 100% | 10.0 | ||
| Basic Taste and Flavor | |||
| Saltiness | The basic taste associated with a sodium chloride solution | 0.15% NaCl | 1.0 |
| 0.25% NaCl | 3.0 | ||
| Sweetness | The basic taste associated with a sucrose solution | 1% sucrose | 3.0 |
| 2% sucrose | 5.0 | ||
| Bitterness | The basic taste associated with a caffeine solution | 0.01% caffeine | 2.0 |
| 0.02% caffeine | 3.0 | ||
| Astringency | A drying and puckering sensation on the mouth surface | 0.03% alum | 1.0 |
| Unripe dates | 10.0 | ||
| Overall nuts | Aromatics related to nuts in general | Mix of grinded Hacendado Nutget:hazelnut, 1:1 | 5.5 |
| Almond ID | Aromatics reminiscent of almond | Marcona almonds | 6.5 |
| Benzaldehyde like | Artificial almond or cherry aromatics | Aroma: almond extract Dr. Oetker | 10.0 |
| Flavor: bitter almond | 10.0 | ||
| Woody | The sweet, musty, dark, and dry aromatics associated with the tree bark | Hacendado walnuts | 3.0 |
| Aftertaste | Longevity of key attributes intensity after swallow the sample | 30 s | 1.0 |
| 1 min | 3.0 | ||
| 1.5 min | 6.0 | ||
| Texture | |||
| Hardness | The force required to bite completely through the sample with molar teeth. Evaluated on the first bite down with the molars | Baby Bell light cheese | 3.0 |
| Sugus chewy candy | 6.0 | ||
| Hacendado almond | 7.5 | ||
| Solano candy | 10.0 | ||
| Cohesiveness | The degree to which the sample deforms prior to breaking apart when compressed between molars | Hochland cheese slices | 3.5 |
| Hacendado raisins | 6.5 | ||
| Sugus chewy candy | 8.0 | ||
| Crispiness | The intensity of audible noise at first chew with molars | Nestlé cheerios | 5.5 |
| Nestlé fitness | 7.0 | ||
| Fracturability | The force needed to break the almond. The evaluation was done with the molars after first chew | Nestlé cheerios | 2.5 |
| Nestlé fitness | 5.0 | ||
| Adhesiveness | The effort needed to completely remove the sample from the teeth; measured after 5 chews | Kraft Miracle whip light dressing | 4.5 |
| Marshmallow fluff | 6.5 | ||
| Jif creamy peanut butter | 8.5 | ||
‡ Intensities are based on a 10-point numerical scale with 0.5 increments, where 0 means “none” and 10 means “extremely strong”.