Training a sensory panel for describing texture in peach and nectarines

Abstract

Analysing the texture of fresh fruit is a fundamental aim in the food industry because it is the main factor that affects consumer acceptance, and it must therefore be measured objectively. However, as it is a sensory property, human beings should be involved in assessing it. To achieve this goal, panels of trained judges describe and quantify certain previously defined textural attributes for a particular food. For fresh peaches and nectarines, there are no established methodologies for training a specific panel to describe texture. Therefore, the aims of this investigation were (1) to select sensory attributes, develop lexicon and intensity scales for training a sensory panel and (2) to describe peach and nectarine cultivars according to their textural properties. An appropriate lexicon was generated using five descriptors: ‘hardness’, ‘juiciness’, ‘melting’, ‘crispness’ and ‘crunchiness’. The panel was able to describe twelve peach cultivars and segregate them according to their textural properties in three groups: melting flesh, non melting flesh, and an intermediate group formed by MF and NMF genotypes.