A Sensory Analysis of Raw Native, ‘Kanza’, and ‘Pawnee’ Pecans

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the appearance, texture, color, and taste of two popular pecan (Carya illinoinensis) clones relative to native pecans in a blind sensory analysis. Subjects tasted the raw pecans acquired from the same farm and evaluated them using hedonic scores. Results suggest consumers prefer the two clones to natives, and most of this preference seems to be related to the pecan size. A crossmodal effect was detected whereby the subjects reported an improved flavor in whole native pecans compared with clones that were cut in half and were thus less visually appealing. Consequently, although a previous study showed that consumers prefer pecans in a hypothetical (nontasting) situation when they are labeled as a “native” as opposed to clones, when the pecans are actually eaten and there are no labels designating the pecan type, they prefer the clones.

Consumer Hedonic Ratings and Associated Sensory Characteristics and Emotional Responses to Fourteen Pecan Varieties Grown in Texas

“…The findings implied that the selected pecan varieties generally had good sensory qualities. The results were consistent with a study that showed high hedonic ratings toward three pecan varieties (Kanza, Pawnee, and two natives) for the acceptance of appearance, texture, flavor, and overall [ 6 ]. The study also concluded that pecan kernel size was the major factor impacting consumer preference, which was contrary to our results.…”

“…In this study, PLS regression showed that the drivers of overall acceptance were the acceptance of typical-pecan flavor and interior color, intensities of flavors, no off-flavors, and specific positive emotional responses for the pecan kernels. There are only four publications associated with consumer acceptance of pecan kernel or related pecan products [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], and overall acceptance is commonly included in these studies. However, no studies have focused on the driven factors for the overall acceptance of pecan kernels.…”

“…So far, limited studies have investigated pecan kernel sensory quality improvement and consumer acceptance [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. These studies commonly used a few terms for overall impressions, such as appearance, aroma, taste, flavor, and texture.…”

“…None of these studies diagnose specific sensory attributes associated with these overall impressions. The tested products either focus on few raw pecan varieties [ 6 ], roasted kernels [ 7 ], or food products using pecans as ingredients [ 8 , 9 ]. Pecan’s raw kernel sensory quality is the primary driver leading to whether pecan is consumed alone or used in different food products [ 10 ].…”