FOOD. Science. Technology. Quality

Food. SCIENCE. Technology. Quality

Food. Science. TECHNOLOGY. Quality

Food. Science. Technology. QUALITY

Authors

ANNA SADOWSKA, FRANCISZEK ŚWIDERSKI, RITA RAKOWSKA, ELIZA KOSTYRA, ANNA PIOTROWSKA

Title

Usefulness of quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and principal components analysis (PCA) exemplified by sensory evaluation of grilled beef steaks

Abstract

The objective of the research study was to determine the potential of using, more extensively, a quantitative descriptive method (QDA) and a principal components analysis (PCA) to evaluate the sensory quality of grilled beef by identifying the complex profile of the product under evaluation and, then, by limiting the quantity of attributes included, which facilitated the interpretation of results and the determination of the relationships that were important for the quality of the product analyzed. The research material consisted of five muscles: musculus semitendinosus (L_PO), musculus semimembranosus (Z_PO), musculus longissimus dorsi thoracis (A_NG), musculus longissimus dorsi lumborum (R_NG), and musculus gluteus medium (K_PS); those muscles were subjected to an ageing process for 7, 14, and 21 days in vacuum packs, at a temperature of 2 °C ± 1 °C. The meat after the heat treatment (grilling) was sensory assessed using a quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and, next, the results obtained were statistically analysed using a principal components analysis (PCA). Based on the analyses performed, it was found that the QDA-based sensory evaluation of the beef muscles subjected to the ageing process provided a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the sensory profile of the product evaluated. The principal component analysis, used as a statistical tool, enabled the analysis of a large number of quality parameters under assessment obtained during the sensory evaluation of meat. With that analysis, it was possible to detect the regularities that were imperceptible in the original layout of the obtained results of sensory evaluations. On the basis of PCA, it was found that many sensory attributes were quite strongly correlated with each other and in order to obtain a complete characterisation of the sensory quality, it was enough to include just a small subset from a group of numerous parameters under evaluation; this could essentially facilitate the interpretation of results and the determination of relationships important for the sensory quality of the product being assessed. It was also proved that the variation in the sensory quality of beef muscles referred to the features of texture and overall quality. The intensity of how individual sensory attributes of heattreated meat were felt varied in the case of individual muscles and depended on the duration of their ageing. As regards the musculus semitendinosus, its positive sensory characteristics were formed, to the greatest extent, during a 14-day ageing period, while in the musculus longissimus dorsi lumborum, the best features of its texture and overall quality were reported after a 21 day ageing period. Regarding the remaining samples analyzed, no significant (p < 0.05) differences were found in their sensory quality after the applied period of ageing.

Keywords

beef, sensory quality, quantitative descriptive method (QDA), principal component analysis (PCA)

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