The sensory evaluation of spicy paneer cheese

Courtney Keer Schlossareck

Chili pepper consumption has rapidly increased in recent years, with 90% of consumers reporting to like spicy foods to some degree. The food industry has capitalized on this, producing a greater number of spicy foods, including cheese. However, challenges such as sensory fatigue and product carryover are limiting in spicy food sensory evaluation. The objective of this research was to analyze and find alternative methods for the evaluation of the sensory properties, including aftertaste, of capsaicin, the molecule responsible for the spicy burn, in spicy paneer cheese. The first study evaluated consumers (n=110) and electronic tongue's ability to discriminate among different concentrations of capsaicin in paneer (0, 1.875, 3.75, 7.5, 15 and 30 ppm). Consumers' discrimination ability was determined through a difference from control evaluation, and the e-tongue analyzed the samples for the basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, and metallic and spicy. The results concluded the e-tongue was more sensitive to differences among samples than consumers. The second study aimed to understand the spicy aftertaste intensity and liking of spicy paneer among different categories of consumers. Consumers were categorized based on their spicy food use level and spice level preference (mild, medium, hot). Consumers evaluated four spicy paneer samples (0, 3.75, 7.5, and 30 ppm), for aftertaste intensity and liking approximately every minute for a total of 15 minutes. Paneer containing higher concentrations of capsaicin had a longer lasting and more intense burning sensation. Also, as the evaluation time progressed, the aftertaste intensity declined, with spicier paneer decaying more rapidly. Further, results revealed different groups of the consumer categorization lead to different aftertaste intensity and liking scores, with "mild" users disliking the spiciest paneer significantly more than "medium" and "hot" users and "mild" users rating the spiciest paneer to be significantly more spicy than the "medium" and "hot" users ratings. The results from these studies will add to the literature on the use of the e-tongue in spicy food evaluation, as well as provide insight into the perception of spicy aftertaste in a cheese matrix among different consumer categories.

The sensory evaluation of spicy paneer cheese

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