4.3 THE SENSORY PROFILE
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Table 4.2 Positive sensory attributes of extra-virgin olive oil (Commission Regulation (EC) No 640/2008 of 4 July 2008 amending Regulation (EEC) No. 2568/91 on sensory characteristics of olive oil and the relevant methods of analysis). Fruity
Bitter
Pungent
Range of smells (depending on cultivar, degree of maturity at harvest, and processing conditions) characteristic of oil from healthy fresh fruit, green or ripe, perceived directly as odour when smelling the oil and/or retronasally as flavour when tasting the oil in the mouth. Fruitiness is qualified as green if the range of smells is reminiscent of green fruit and is characteristic of oil from green fruit. Fruitiness is qualified as ripe if the range of smells is reminiscent of ripe fruit and is characteristic of oil from green and ripe fruit. Characteristic primary taste of oil from green olives or olives turning colour. Bitterness is detected by the circumvallate papillae on the ‘V’ region of the tongue. Tingling sensation characteristic of oils produced at the beginning of the season, mainly from olives that are still green. It can be perceived throughout the mouth cavity, particularly in the throat.
4.3 The sensory proďŹ le The evaluation of the sensory profile is the pivotal step for defining the sensory style of an extra-virgin olive oil. The most widely used method is Descriptive Sensory Analysis (DSA) (Lawless and Heymann 1998). Some details providing useful insight into the DSA procedure are given in Annex 4.1.
4.3.1 The problem of terminology The problem of terminology standardization is of critical importance. Generally, each panel develops the sensory language itself. This is a consensus-building process aimed at defining the attributes that the panel will use to express perceptions. Tasters familiarize themselves with the product space and generate attributes that describe the differences among products. Before assessing products, tasters participate in a series of language sessions managed by a panel leader. Table 4.3 reports the terms used to describe the sensory characteristics of extravirgin olive oils according to three key publications: Mojet and de Jong (1994); Delgado and Guinard (2011b) and Monteleone et al. (2012). These papers were selected for two main reasons: (i) descriptive studies were carried out in different countries and in qualified research sensory laboratories; (ii) descriptive terms were generated to profile oils with varied origins (country and variety). There are several descriptors that are recurrent in the three lists. In order to achieve the best reproducibility of sensory assessment, precise definitions should be given for every sensory descriptor and reference standards should be used to select, train, tune and compare the performance of sensory judges. Table 4.4 is an example of standard definitions and references of the sensory descriptors proposed by Monteleone et al. (2012).