Sensory characterization of cooked brown rice using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA ® )

Abstract

The sensory properties of 10 samples of cooked brown rice were investigated using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA ® ). Eight trained panelists selected 94 sensory descriptive terms using 4 samples that were collected and consolidated by open-ended sensory evaluation. A total of 18 attributes (aroma: 3; appearance: 4; taste: 4; flavor: 1; and texture: 6) were subsequently revealed by a preliminary sensory test of 3 samples. Multiple comparisons indicated significant differences (p<0.05) in the 18 attributes among the 10 samples. It was suggested that sensory properties were affected by giant embryo and amylose content. Factor analysis of the 18 attributes yielded 4 factors, with a cumulative contribution rate of 58.5 %. The first factor was overall texture, the second factor was texture and flavor related to bran and germ, the third factor was sweetness, and the fourth factor was color. Cluster analysis divided the samples into 4 groups. These results suggest that QDA ® is useful for identifying and measuring the sensory properties of cooked brown rice.