Progress in developing an international protocol for sensory profiling of hard cheese

The methods normally used by seven laboratories in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (Scotland) to characterize the sensory properties of hard cheese were compared in a collaborative ring trial. Three strategies emerged. (1) Laboratories which routinely profiled foods (including cheese), derived an overview of the sensory properties of cheese using quantitative descriptive analysis and a relatively limited vocabulary. (2) Specialist laboratories which monitored the quality of a restricted number of cheese varieties accumulated a more detailed profile by using an extensive list of descriptors; an essential element of this strategy was the use of reference standards. (3) One laboratory allowed free choice of vocabulary terms by individual assessors from a pool of sensory attributes. Based on this experience, a consensus protocol for profiling cheese was agreed among the seven laboratories and this was evaluated in a carefully controlled second ring trial. The new protocol was successfully implemented and revealed an encouraging degree of agreement among laboratories. As a result of these studies, an improved method for sensory evaluation of hard cheese has been developed. Future enhancements of the protocol, by refinement of the sensory vocabulary and by the application of reference standards, are proposed.

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