RESEARCH OF SELECTIVE TESTS FOR DISCERNING "AN EFFICIENT ASSESSOR" IN TEXTURE PROFILING

To find selective and predictive tests in texture profiling, a series of 20 tests and 2 texture profiles were submitted to 25 subjects. Selection was carried out according to ranking, scoring and a texture property knowledge questionnaire. Two profiles were then done on 5 Bolognese sauce and 8 rice samples. Assessors were assessed by Spearman correlation coefficients for ranking tests, F values for scoring, average square canonical correlation coefficients for measuring the dimensionality of individual sample space, product discrimination and response repeatability for both Bolognese sauce and rice samples.
Characterization test results showed that subject ability varied widely according to the test and the profile. Only one significant relationship between the texture property knowledge test and rice profile performances was found. More tests were successfully related to one or several texture attributes of both profiles. The ability to complete a complex profile could be discerned, albeit with difficulty, through simple selection tests.