To Örebro University

Using dill (Anethum graveolens L.) as a model herb, we revealnovel associations between metabolite profile and sensory quality, by integrating non-target metabolomics with sensory data. Low night temperatures and exposure to UV-enriched light was used to modulate plant metabolism, thereby improving sensory quality. Plant age is a crucial factor associated with accumulation of dill ether and α-phellandrene, volatile compounds associated with dill flavour. However, sensory analysis showed that neither of these compounds has any strong association with dill taste. Rather, amino acids alanine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, valine, and leucine increased in samples exposed to eustress and were positively associated with dill and sour taste. Increases in amino acids and organic acids changed the taste from lemon/grass to a more bitter/pungent dill-related taste. Our approach reveals a novel approach to establish links between effects of eustressors on sensory quality, and may be applicable to a broad range of crops.

The pilot study reported here involved empirically investigating how analogical training, involving reflective wine- and spirit-tasting sessions and the reading of classic literature, affected the ability of sommeliers and chefs to holistically communicate complex sensory experiences. Analogical training occurred in dialogue seminars, during which participants' progress in communicating sensory experiences was examined following diverse methods of descriptive sensory analysis and, later, by analysing the use of analogies, metaphors and practical examples in tasting contexts. Among the results, dialogue seminars with analogical and reflective tasting exercises stimulated the participants’ ability to associate and apply personal keywords and experiences in making more precise sensory assessments. By exploring personal memories during sensory experiences, participants found commonalities that allowed them to develop a common language during dialogue seminars. Such findings suggest that dialogue seminars, by allowing participants to examine and share their experiences with and reflections on complex sensory experiences with reference to tasting activities, can afford intellectual space for discovering tacit knowledge and practical skills within groups of professional tasters.

Landraces, that is, crop and livestock not improved by formal breeding, are scarce in the industrialized world and are mainly maintained ex situ for breeding purposes. The natural biodiversity of these landraces may contribute to securing food production that can adapt to a changing climate, crop pathogens, diseases, and other agricultural challenges. In addition, landraces might also possess unique quality traits. Our aim is to take the idea of crop and livestock diversity further by connecting flavor differences of different landraces and varieties, with gastronomic applications. Do landraces provide a creative possibility of using distinct sensory characteristics to create new dishes and food products and/or to optimize recipes by finding the right variety for existing dishes and food products? This study suggests that apple, pea, pear, and poultry landraces, apart from being valuable in terms of biodiversity in sustainable food systems, also possess unique and distinct gastronomic potential. For example, citrus odors in apples, nutty taste in gray peas, astringent taste in pears, and high odor intensity of stable in poultry is of culinary relevance when working with apple juice, plant-based alternatives to meat, poached pears, and roasted rooster, respectively. To fully explore, and take advantage of, the gastronomic potential landraces possess, additional studies are needed in order to find suitable cooking methods and development of recipes.

Practical Application: Seeking to increase market interest for landraces, highlighting gastronomic values could stimulate higher demand and, in turn, contribute to larger and more resilient populations preserved in situ. Specifically, the paper is of use to (I) crop and livestock producers and food companies who wish to provide products with greater sensory variation, (II) individuals, companies, and organizations with the aim to increase landrace demand and/or preservation, and (III) breeders and genetic engineers managing genetic traits of landraces and other varieties.

The aim of this study is to formulate an olfactory description for refined linseed oils, for paintmaking purposes, in order to redevelop and articulate material and craft knowledge relevant to cultural heritage. By using the repertory grid method, common in food and beverage sensory consumer analysis, different types of refined linseed oils available on professional market are examined regarding odor qualities by traditional Swedish architectural painting professionals (32 working or studying painters and paintmakers). With semantic analysis, statistical processing, and principal component analysis, an olfactory description is defined. The analysis reveal that the odor qualities of the linseed oils can be correlated to the types of linseed oils and hence their heating temperatures. Raw, heated, high-temperature boiled, and vacuum-boiled linseed oils can be verbally distinguished by typical odor qualities ranging from for instance mild and grassy to pungent and decaying. The olfactory description will be used in further work for sensory examinations, combined with natural sciences and craft sciences to verbalize experiences of linseed oil with different film-forming characteristics in order to regain lost knowledge concerning linseed oil (anticorrosive) paints for maintenance and conservation of historic buildings and constructions. Practical applications An olfactory description enables traditional architectural painting professionals to judge and discuss linseed oil qualities in traditional architectural painting and paintmaking, for redeveloping tangible and intangible craft skills. Sensory analysis methods access new tools for cultural heritage studies and enables craft persons to train their attention to odors as rapid quality indicators for different types of oils for various outdoor building or iron/steel construction painting purposes.

Learning how to evaluate and communicate sensory experiences is crucial in the training of sommeliers and other restaurant personnel. Established sensory training methods are focused on analytical training when evaluating sensory experiences. Analogical methods, however, use analogies, metaphors and practical examples to describe and evaluate sensory experiences. This study aim to investigate whether practical analogical training in Dialogue seminars, involving reflection, verbalization and the exploration of concepts, could be used as an educational complement to analytical training. The result, when evaluating Dialogue seminar (DS) with the repertory grid method (RGM), was an increased consistency in the assessments of wine within a group of sommeliers. The content analysis also showed an increased use of familiar concepts and multi-sensational at- tributes after analogical training. It is therefore concluded that analogical training with DS, followed by ana- lytical evaluation with RGM, can be successfully combined when training sommeliers.

Practical applications: This empirical framework introduces a new pedagogical tool when training restaurant personnel. Using contextual reflective tasting exercises in groups stimulates the awareness of personal references that can be helpful in developing a vocabulary of common definitions for sensory attributes. In addition to being a pedagogical tool, these exercises offer a counterpart to the well-established consensus technique when training sensory panels or performing sensory profile evaluation. It is, therefore, also concluded that this methodological approach can be used to better evaluate and communicate complex sensory experiences within a tasting group.

The ideal cheese and wine combination might be relativelysubjective, depending on personal preference, context factors,previous knowledge and experience of food and wine. The aim ofthis study was to (I) explore consumer liking for wine and cheesepairs; to (II) explore whether either wine or cheese dominates acombination and to (III) understand the relationship betweenconsumer liking and the dynamic taste experience. Consumertesting was performed in a restaurant setting where 45 consumersevaluated liking and dominance of combinations of cheese andwine as a part of a conference lunch. In a laboratory, TemporalDominance of Sensation (TDS) was used to analyse the dynamicresponses of five wines andRoquefort Sociététasted in a mixedtasting. Results show significant differences between the wines fordominance and liking for the wines and cheese. A sweet andfruity dessert wine together with the cheese scored high for likingand no dominance was indicated of either wine or cheese. TDS isfound to be a useful method to provide additional informationabout sensory attributes that give a high liking score, showing thedynamic in the eating process.

Microbiological and sensory methods were used to analyze 22 soft cheeses, of which 19 were made from raw milk, one was made from both raw and pasteurized milk and two were made from pasteurized milk. Moderate correlations (r-value 0.5–0.6 and p-value <0.01–0.05) were found between the levels of Enterobacteriaceae 37°C and the intensity of the sensory characteristics “bitter”, “metallic”, “pungent”, “manure” and “ammonia”. The present study indicates that it is possible to predict high levels of Enterobacteriaceae in soft cheeses made from raw milk using only the human senses (odor and taste).

Sauces play an important role in the sensory perception of meals. The combination of sauce and other foods in a meal might cause sensory interactions which change sensory attributes and the overall impression of the meal. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of culinary sauces, with different levels and combinations of the basic tastes, on the sensory attributes of salmon using mixed tasting technique. Seventeen different combinations of salmon and culinary sauces were evaluated by a trained panel at Nofima using descriptive analysis. The samples were analyzed in this sequence; first the salmon, then the sauce and finally the combination of salmon and sauce. Significant changes were found in salmon for all combinations, most importantly; bitter, acid and salty sauces significantly reduced salmon flavor, while salty sauce also reduced fish-oil flavor. Bitter, acid and salty sauces significantly increased the attribute complexity and bitter sauce reduced the attribute harmony. This study can be seen as a model for product development combining experimental design and sensory analysis with culinary knowledge. Results may be applied for tailoring fish meals for specific consumer segments. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.