Establishment of a sensory lexicon for dried long pasta

Abstract

Pasta is a common and popular food all over the world. However, neither a detailed sensory profile nor sensory lexicon of pasta quality has been reported. In this study, a lexicon for describing the sensory attributes of cooked, dried long pasta was developed using a large sample set of pasta. One hundred twelve pasta samples were prepared and then classified into four groups according to similarities in their sensory characteristics. Among them, 50 samples were selected as representative samples. A highly experienced and trained panel generated expressions following a sensory evaluation of the 50 pasta samples. The final lexicon consisted of 35 terms (5 for appearance, 11 for aroma/flavor, and 19 for texture). Definitions and references were determined for each term. Each descriptor was ranked according to its frequency of use by the sensory evaluation and discussion. Eight samples that were selected from each group as representative samples made in Italy were evaluated using the lexicon in a trial evaluation. The results show that the descriptors were appropriate for differentiating the sensory qualities among the samples. Practical applications A lack of clarity of words and insufficiency of common terms in the sensory evaluation of cooked pasta result in communication gaps. Precise and objective evaluations based on the lexicon described herein will enable clear descriptions of subtle differences in the qualities of various long pastas. Improving the evaluation system will lead to enhanced quality control of existing products and the development of new, high‐quality products. This will also be beneficial for buyers and consumers when choosing products. As the definitions and references for the terms are provided in the lexicon, it will facilitate a common understanding of the evaluation descriptors between sections within companies, between companies, and between countries.

The Importance of Sensory Lexicons for Research and Development of Food Products

“…More recently, a lexicon for cooked spaghetti was developed using a large sample set of spaghetti from various countries. The lexicon listed 35 attributes, of which 19 were for texture; this indicated a wide variation in texture characteristics among cooked spaghetti samples [21].…”

“…Lexicons facilitate accurate and precise communication regarding products’ sensory characteristics across diverse audiences, such as sensory panels and scientists, product developers, marketing professionals, and suppliers, both within and between companies and even between countries [2,21]. Different people, especially those from different countries and cultures, may have a different understanding and interpretation of the same descriptor.…”

Lexicon for multiparameter texture assessment of snack and snack‐like foods in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi

“…The terms associated with each cluster described similar texture characteristic experienced by vision, The results suggest that the set of descriptors was appropriate for defining the general texture space of many solid food products perceived by any of the five senses studied in this research. For example, this texture lexicon covered all the 19 texture terms described for 50 pasta samples (Irie et al, 2018). Similarly, terms developed in other studies for various products were also included in this lexicon, for example: 4 texture terms to describe 18 different cashew samples (Griffin et al, 2017); 17 out of 20 attributes for 24 French bread samples (Hayakawa, Ukai, Nishida, Kazami, & Kohyama, 2010); 12 out of 14 texture descriptors for 8 commercial red sufu products (He, Chen, & Chung, 2018); all 7 texture attributes for 12 commercial plain sufu products (Chen & Chung, 2016); and 6 of 7 attributes for fresh peaches (Belisle et al, 2017).…”

“…Similarly texture lexicons have been developed for apples and pears (Chauvin, Ross, Pitts, Kupferman, & Swanson, ), cheese (Pereira, Bennett, Hemar, & Campanella, ), rice (Mundo & Juliano, ), potatoes (Thybo & Martens, ); thickened liquids for dysphagia patients (Chambers, Jenkins, & Mertz Garcia, ), fresh processed tomatoes (Hongsoongnern & Chambers, ) and milk desserts (Bruzzone, Ares, & Giménez, ), and lip products (Dooley, Adhikari, & Chambers, ). Several studies have examined either visual and mouth texture characteristics (e.g., Irie, Maeda, Kazami, Yoshida, & Hayakawa, ) or hand and mouth texture (e.g., Drake, Gerard, & Civille, ). In that case the authors found no difference between hand and mouth evaluations.…”

The effect of carrier on consumer liking of soy sauce

“…Two sensory experts with more than 1,000 h of experience with DA and more than 50 h of experience with soy sauce screened 27 different soy sauces straight and documented the defining characteristics for each soy sauce (Cherdchu, Chambers IV, & Suwonsichon, 2013;Imamura, 2016;Irie, Maeda, Kazami, Yoshida, & Hayakawa, 2018).…”