Sensory Lexicon and Major Volatiles of Rakı Using Descriptive Analysis and GC-FID/MS

Abstract

Rakı is a traditional and Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) alcoholic beverage that is distilled from grape distillate with Pimpinella anisum L. in copper pot stills in Turkey. This study focused on the development of a sensory lexicon, a sensory wheel, using a consensus approach and the determination of major volatiles by GC-FID/MS for Rakı. A total of 37 Rakı samples representing all producers were used for volatile and sensory evaluation. The experts identified 78 attributes and references for the lexicon. The main attributes were spicy, anise, sweet, resinous, fruity, dry fruit, floral, head&tail aroma and white colour. The Rakı sensory wheel was created to provide a graphical display of its sensory attributes. For validation of the lexicon, 18 samples were evaluated using descriptive analysis. The results were subjected to PCA to examine the relationship of the samples with the defined sensory attributes. The PCA results show that there is a significant relationship between the Rakı categories and sensory terms and flavour intensities. The GC-MS analyses depicted the following major volatile compounds n-propanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 2 and 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl-acetate, acetal, acetaldehyde, trans-anethol and estragole. The characterization of the product using its most distinctive sensory descriptors are important tool and can be used for the industry, marketing, consumer education and scientists.

Sensory lexicon and aroma volatiles analysis of brewing malt

“…When developing the sensory descriptors, it was important to cover the full range of the sensory profile in order to capture as many sensory descriptors as possible 40 . A total of 22 commercial brewing malt samples (denoted S1–S22) were selected as representative samples, which were gathered from 9 malt types and covered a wide colour scale (3 EBC to 1500 EBC) in order to explain all potential sensory attributes (Table 3 ).…”

“…Lawless and Civille 38 provided an overview of the essential elements of a sensory lexicon, which should include a list of relevant products, along with all the attributes and their definitions and references. Recently, sensory wheels have been developed for a variety of beverages and foods, including chocolate 39 , Rakı 40 , potato cultivar 41 , soy sauce 42 , and coated tablets 43 . The attributes in a sensory wheel can be used to standardise training and aid education and discussion.…”

“…The attributes in a sensory wheel can be used to standardise training and aid education and discussion. Sensory wheels can also serve as a communication tool among industry members, including producers, retailers, exporters, importers, industry professionals, and consumers 40 .…”

Alcoholic Fermentation as a Source of Congeners in Fruit Spirits

“…With some exceptions in favor of esters [55][56][57], the higher alcohols, also known as fusel alcohols, are the most abundant chemical class in spirits [5,8,[58][59][60][61][62]. Yeasts produce higher alcohols during fermentation, either directly from sugars or indirectly from amino acids via the Ehrlich reaction.…”