International audienc

International audienc

No abstract

Sensory analysis of honey may be used as a complement to physico-chemical and pollen analyses. It is used to confirm quality, verify the absence of defects, evaluate the conformity to established sensory profiles of unifloral honeys and also to understand consumer preferences. This paper will present a guide to sensory analysis methods for assessing the organoleptic properties of honey and the general procedures required to evaluate them. The standards for honey sensory analysis were developed in reference to specific scientific articles or ISO standards. General requirements for tasting procedures are defined by controlled experimental protocols regarding the design of test booths and best prac- tice for storage, preparation and presentation of honey samples. The assessors should be selected and trained for each method. They must follow the tasting procedures and rules when evaluating and reporting the visual, olfactory, olfac- tory-gustatory and tactile characteristics of honey (including their intensity) and confirm the absence of defects. Two methods for descriptive analysis are reported: the semi-quantitative method which uses detailed descriptors for visual, odor and flavor, and the profile method which employs twelve descriptors related to the botanical origin and whose intensity is scored using a horizontal line scale of 10 cm. Assessment of conformity evaluates a honey’s conformity to the botanical origin and the absence of defects. Also the profile method may be used to evaluate the conformity of uni- floral honey to established sensory standards and to measure the intensity of the attributes

No abstract

When pollen is studied from nutritional point of view, it would be desirable to correct its raw palynological spectrum in order to express the mass contribution of each pollen type. Different approaches applied for this correction through volumetric coefficients are discussed, and a simple and reliable procedure is proposed.

No abstract

Honey is a worldwide known and appreciated food product. Its appreciation by consumers is due to both its nutritional properties and the extremely reduced processing. The floral origin, color, aroma and taste are key factors in determining the quality of honey. Nevertheless, rheological properties, as crystallization rate, play a fundamental role in the perceived overall quality. Indeed, crystallized honey is often considered of poor quality by consumers, but a fine-grained or creamy texture is becoming interesting from the producers’ side. The purpose of this study was to investigate textural and aromatic properties and consumers’ perception and acceptance of two monofloral honeys that were differently crystallized. Liquid and creamy samples were obtained from crystallized samples. Physico-chemical, descriptive and dynamic sensory analysis, as well as consumer and CATA tests, were conducted on the three honey textures. The physico-chemical analysis well-discriminated the crystallization levels and evidenced that, although the honey variety was different, the textural properties of the creamy samples are very similar. Crystallization was shown to affect the honey sensory perceptions: liquid samples were sweeter, but less aromatic. Consumer tests allowed the validation of panel data and confirmed consumers’ higher appreciation for liquid and creamy honey.