Capturing and Explaining Sensory Differences among Organically Grown Vegetable‐Soybean Varieties Grown in Northern California

Abstract

Vegetable soybean (VS), known as edamame, is appreciated for its robust flavor and exceptional nutrient content. Although the United States is one of the world's leading producers of soy, only a fraction is harvested as edamame. Research involving varietal differences is very limited, particularly among U.S. consumers. Sensory attributes of three VS varieties grown in Northern California (with organic methods) were assessed: Giant Midori (GM), ButterBean (BB), and Kuroshinja (KU). Participants (n = 74) rated four characteristics: flavor, texture, appearance, and overall liking on unlabeled, 11‐point hedonic scales and were asked if they would purchase the variety. A small portion of these participants would again evaluate the varieties, using free choice profiling (FCP) methodology. After these evaluations, texture analyzer, colorimeter, and high‐performance liquid chromatography (free amino acids, sugars, and isoflavones) testing were performed. Among tested varieties, distinct differences in quality were found, with GM preferred first, followed by KU, and BB. GM was significantly harder, a more intense green, had more free sugars and isoflavones and fewer free amino acids, whereas KU and BB trended to be the opposite. Analyzing FCP data with a General Procrustes Analysis, varieties were separated in different factors for flavor and texture, but not appearance. Although repeated, and larger trials are needed, our study signifies that consumers are able to detect differences among VS varieties. Further research may influence producers to grow the variety likely to be most profitable and marketable.

Sensory and Consumer Studies in Plant Breeding: A Guidance for Edamame Development in the U.S.

“…Recently, the acceptability of three edamame cultivars (Giant Midori, Kuroshinja, and ButterBean) was investigated as part of a broader organic vegetable research project in California (Flores et al, 2019). Participants rated overall liking, appearance, flavor, and texture of each sample, and Giant Midori was the most liked edamame (overall liking and all sensory attributes), while ButterBean had the lowest sensory scores.…”

“…Estimating consumer interest in and motivation for edamame products through consumer willingness-topay (WTP) studies helps provide that information. For instance, Flores et al (2019) reported that consumers in California showed the highest purchase intent for the edamame cultivar Giant Midori and the lowest for the cultivar ButterBean, which were, respectively, the most and least liked edamame evaluated. U.S. consumers are willing to pay price premium for nongenetically modified edamame (Wolfe et al, 2018), which suggests breeding programs are vital to develop and sustain the edamame production in the U.S. Wolfe et al (2018) reported that although no significant difference was observed between preference scores of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM edamame samples, consumers valued more on non-GM-labeled edamame and were willing to pay at least $0.42 more per unit for that information.…”

“…Due to the need for import, seasonal production, and short harvest period, frozen edamame (in pods or shelled) is more common than fresh edamame in the U.S. market (Montri et al, 2006;Saldivar et al, 2010;Nolen et al, 2016;Wolfe et al, 2018). Asian countries are still the major suppliers of the edamame consumed in the U.S. and since the 1990s China has replaced Taiwan as the major edamame exporter (Wang, 2018;Flores et al, 2019). However, the growing demand for edamame in the U.S. has aroused the interest of breeders, growers, and food processors to produce this vegetable domestically (Xu et al, 2016).…”

“…Over the last decades, agronomic research studies have been performed in universities across the U.S. to introduce and improve new edamame varieties. However, most of these studies did not include information regarding consumers' perceptions and buying attitudes toward edamame (Flores et al, 2019). Likewise, the few reviews of edamame published until recently have focused exclusively on the agronomic characteristics, despite the importance of understanding consumer data to answer breeding and food production questions.…”

Utilizing Consumer Perception of Edamame to Guide New Variety Development

“…Despite the increasing consumption of edamame in the U.S over the last decades, only a few studies have investigated consumers' acceptability and preferences for edamame with focus on the U.S. market (Johnson et al, 1999;Young et al, 2000;Kelley and Sánchez, 2005;Wszelaki et al, 2005;Krinsky et al, 2006;Williams, 2015;Wolfe et al, 2018;Flores et al, 2019). Pod appearance, bean taste, aroma, and texture were reported as sensory attributes that significantly affect edamame acceptability among U.S. consumers, who have also shown higher preference for a moderate chewy texture and balanced sweet and nutty flavor (Wszelaki et al, 2005;Flores et al, 2019). Nevertheless, a broader understanding of sensory attributes that can contribute to increase consumer acceptability or may lead to consumer rejection of new edamame genotypes in the U.S. market is still needed to guide breeding programs in the country.…”