Effect Analysis of Japanese Soup Stock “Dashi” Flavored Jelly Texture on Its Sensory Evaluated Aroma and Taste

Abstract

Six kinds of jelly samples were prepared by adding 1.0% of Japanese soup stock “Dashi” and 0.5%–3.0% of jelling agent. Viscoelastic measurement and sensory evaluation were conducted to evaluate the interactions between viscoelastic properties and sensory evaluated texture, aroma, and taste. Hardness [Pa], cohesiveness [-], and adhesiveness [J/m³] were determined using texture test. Sensory evaluation was conducted using 42 evaluators, and the sensory scores for preference, hardness of jelly, aroma intensity of Dashi, taste intensity of Dashi, elasticity, ease of swallowing, and the preference of texture were obtained. The results of applying principal component analysis to the sensory evaluation scores indicated that the term related to the strength of the jelly texture was the primary axis of evaluation, followed by the terms related to the strength of the jelly taste and aroma. The interactions between the viscoelastic property and the sensory score were successfully confirmed by a good coefficient of determination obtained from an artificial neural network which applied between the viscoelastic property and the sensory score. Thus, it was clarified that the sensory evaluation results, such as preference, were influenced not only by the aroma or taste components but also by the texture constructed from the viscoelastic properties.