Success StoryInitiation and traning of trained panelest to assist the distilled spirits industry to improve quality



Initiation and traning of trained panelest to assist the distilled spirits industry to improve quality

Author: Melissa Morgan (Newman)

Planning Unit: Animal and Food Sciences

Major Program: Economic Development and Workforce Preparation - ANR

Outcome: Initial Outcome

Develop a group of individuals trained to identify typical flavors and quality issues in distilled products. The panelists are undergoing training to describe and recognize the odor qualities of approximately 40 different odorants. They will perform a ranking test to evaluate the odor intensities of eight supra-threshold aqueous solutions in Teflon vessels. These solutions include 3-methyl butanal (malty), (E, E)-2,4-decadienal (fatty), γ-nonalactone (coconut-like), ethyl butanoate (fruity), 2-phenyl ethanol (flowery), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde (vanilla-like), 2-methoxyphenyl (smoky), and 4-ethylphenol (phenolic) using a seven-point scale.

The panelists will be available to evaluate distilled spirits and aroma model mixtures in a sensory panel room at a temperature of 21 ± 1 °C across three sessions for each product. While considering the spirit odor (orthonasal), the panelists will use a seven-point linear scale to assess the intensities of the eight odor qualities represented by the given chemicals. The results obtained during the three sessions will be averaged for each odor note and presented in a spider web diagram.