The consistency in the sensory analysis of coffees using Q-graders

Pereira, Lucas Louzada; Cardoso, Wilton Soares; Guarçoni, Rogério Carvalho; Fonseca, Aymbiré Francisco Almeida da; Moreira, Taís Rizzo; Caten, Carla Schwengber ten

doi:10.1007/s00217-017-2863-9

Cited by 37 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Inherent to these points, the results obtained by Pereira et al () indicated that in 2 days of experiments, sampling coffee in the morning and in the afternoon, the Q‐Graders did not lose their accuracy either in the morning shift or in the afternoon shift. This reinforces that the shifts are not a problem in the sensory analysis of specialty coffees.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Recently, Pereira et al () discussed the relation of the environment (conversation/shift) on the sensory analysis process of specialty coffees, concluding that the level of precision of Q‐Graders decreases the more disturbances (talk and noise) there are during sensory analysis. For Amorim, Ferreira, Lima, and Pereira () the consonance among the evaluators on the use of the attributes of the same sample is an essential characteristic in the process of sensory analysis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Very beyond subjectivity: The limit of accuracy of Q‐Graders

Pereira

Guarçoni

Moreira

et al. 2019

Journal of Texture Studies

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When it comes to the sensory analysis of specialty coffees, it is necessary to discuss the protocol of tests of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the formation of Q‐Graders as reliable parameters in the sensory analysis. However, the training of these Q‐Graders and the use of the SCA protocol has generated discussions in the scientific community and demonstrated the importance of talking about the level of professional precision as well as the use of the protocol. This study sought to understand the relation of accuracy and efficiency of the Q‐Graders and protocol in the sensory analysis of coffees. Three experiments were carried out to evaluate and test the hypotheses regarding the level of precision in relation to the shift, the number of samples and the judgment abilities of Q‐Graders due to the quality of the specialty coffee and nonspecialty coffee. These three experiments were performed by seven Q‐Graders in an isolated environment during three consecutive days with 137 specialty coffee samples and 7 nonspecialty coffee samples as defined by the SCA. The results indicate that the Q‐Graders present high precision when evaluating excellent and outstanding coffees, as defined by the SCA. In addition, the effect of the shift did not exert fatigue on the Q‐Graders. However, evaluation errors were made by the Q‐Graders on very good coffee (77.00–80.00 points), which are considered as nonspecialty by the SCA, thus allowing a more in‐depth discussion on what would be the boundary between a specialty and nonspecialty coffee. Practical applications The article deals with the sensory evaluation process of coffees, and it has great importance to teaching and research institutions in Brazil, the largest producer, largest exporter and the country with the highest concentration of coffee scholars in the world. The article focuses on a new approach and a new way of looking at the sensory evaluation process of coffees, using the methodology of the Specialty Coffee Association to analyze the accuracy and efficiency of the Q‐Graders.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Very beyond subjectivity: The limit of accuracy of Q‐Graders

Pereira

Guarçoni

Moreira

et al. 2019

Journal of Texture Studies

Self Cite

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“…In the same line, Cook et al [17] verified that differences in gender and age, as well as psychological factors, have been attributed to the different perceptions of the sensorial analysis. As Pereira et al [8] have described, the noise factor has been pointed out as one of the greatest villains of the consistency of sensorial analysis with the use of Q-Graders. It is plausible that judges' perceptions may vary according to these criteria, but this method is more standardized in the process of classification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, the use of many tasters can be expensive because it uses a greater number of tasters than necessary. In addition, an environment with many people can cause external noise, thus compromising the quality of the study, as already demonstrated by Pereira et al [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Propositions on the Optimal Number of Q-Graders and R-Graders

Pereira

Guarçoni

Souza

et al. 2018

Journal of Food Quality

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Sensory analysis or cup testing has been widely used in the coffee production chain for the validation of final quality. The tasters are responsible for defining the patterns and qualitative profiles of the drink based on the sensorial analysis and according to their gustatory sensibilities, which are often acquired by professional experience. However, the literature has not discussed in detail the relationship between the number of tasters and the consistency of sensorial analysis. Thus, using the bootstrap simulation methodology to estimate the optimum plot size, this study quantifies and proposes a specific number of tasters for the process of sensorial analysis of specialty coffees. The results indicate that the use of 6 tasters is sufficient to conduct sensorial analysis following SCA and BSCA protocol for coffees in the Arabica group, as well as 6 tasters for coil and Conilon coffees. From this number, no gains in precision are observed in the process of sensorial analysis of coffee with addition tasters.

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“…Although this lexicon only applies to specialty coffee in the North American market and presents a certain subjectivity, it has been implemented in the industry and used by different researchers (Di Donfrancesco, Gutierrez Guzman, & Chambers, 2014; Kathurima, Gichimu, Kenji, & Renaud, 2008;Pereira et al, 2017;Ribeiro et al, 2017;Taveira et al, 2014;Thurston, Morris, & Steiman, 2013;Tolessa, Rademaker, De Baets, & Boeckx, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the postharvest processing of the “Garnica” coffee variety on the sensory characteristics and overall acceptance of the beverage

Partida‐Sedas

Muñoz‐Ferreiro

Vázquez‐Odériz

et al. 2019

Journal of Sensory Studies

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Evaluating how the postharvest processes of coffee influence the sensory characteristics of the obtained beverage makes it possible to innovate to satisfy niche markets, increase cost–benefit advantages, and comply with environmental and quality standards. In this study, four postharvest processes (“natural,” “depulping,” “fermenting,” and “washing”) were carried out on the “Garnica” variety coffee fruit. The beverage resulting from each process underwent a sensory evaluation by (a) expert cuppers to characterize it with a descriptive analysis, as well as by (b) consumers to find out its overall acceptance. The red wine bouquet of the beverage, as obtained through the “natural” process, conditioned the overall acceptance of consumers, and the acceptance of the other coffees was conditioned by the fragrance having a note of lemon. The “depulping” and “fermentation” processes represented viable options to the “washed” coffee: These processes resulted in similar sensory characteristics and general acceptance but had a lower environmental impact. With an acceptance map from a multiple factor analysis of the sensory and hedonistic data, it was found that, when applied to Garnica variety coffee, the “depulping” process represents a viable option to replace “washed” coffee processing. Practical applications The results obtained allow for the presentation of information about the possibility of transitioning to postharvest processes that represent an alternative to the traditional “washed” method for the agents and organisms that manage the coffee sector to raise awareness among them. These results also offer information to consumers regarding the existence of other coffee options with similar sensory characteristics to “washed” coffee, but which have a lower environmental impact.

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The consistency in the sensory analysis of coffees using Q-graders

Cited by 37 publications

References 6 publications

Very beyond subjectivity: The limit of accuracy of Q‐Graders

Very beyond subjectivity: The limit of accuracy of Q‐Graders

Propositions on the Optimal Number of Q-Graders and R-Graders

Influence of the postharvest processing of the “Garnica” coffee variety on the sensory characteristics and overall acceptance of the beverage

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