FACTORS AFFECTING ASPARAGUS SENSORY EVALUATION

Green and white asparagus were subjected to descriptive analysis, and resultant descriptors tested for effectiveness in describing and disti nguishing between the two asparagus types. The effect(s) of 5 harvest times and 14 days of refrigerated storage on descriptor perception was investigated. Eleven descriptors, that described aroma (sweet potato, grassy and sulfury), flavor (sweet pea, sweet corn, bitter, and spina ch) and aftertaste (buttery, brothy, meaty and grassy) of the two aspa ragus types, were used for the freshly harvested samples. One addition al term, toughness, was added for stored product evaluation: Based on principal component analysis, it was found that green asparagus was as sociated with grassy and sulfury aromas; bitter and spinach flavors; a nd grassy aftertaste, while white asparagus was distinguished by sweet potato aroma; sweet corn flavor, buttery and brothy aftertaste, and t oughness descriptors. Harvest and cold storage effects as determined b y repeated measures analysis were generally asparagus type dependent a nd are discussed.