DESCRIPTIVE SENSORY PROFILING OF FRESHLY PROCESSED COMMERCIAL PEANUT,COTTONSEED, CANOLA AND SOYBEAN OILS

Techniques for flavor and odor evaluation of vegetable oils are needed as much as in previous years, particularly as new extraction and proc essing changes evolve. A new ASTM Standard Practice for Sensory Evalua tion of Edible Vegetable Oils (E1627) was recently approved. Using thi s new standard, sensory profiles of four different freshly processed v egetable oils (canola, cottonseed, peanut and soybean) were determined using a descriptive panel. Each oil had a color which was significant ly different from the other oils (P less than or equal to 0.05). All o ils had a bland odor and flavor, although some had hydrogenated and sl ightly nutty flavor and odor characteristics. Cottonseed oil had the h ighest (P less than or equal to 0.05) hydrogenated odor and flavor and waxy flavor ratings, while canola oil had the highest (P less than or equal to 0.05) fishy odor and flavor ratings. Peanut oil was rated hi ghest (P less than or equal to 0.05) for buttery odor and lowest for b eany and cardboard odor. Viscosities are similar, but mouthcoating was slightly different (P less than or equal to 0.05) among samples with cottonseed oil having the highest score.