Analyzing and correlating instrumental and sensory data: A multivariate study of physical properties of cooked wheat noodles

The physical characteristics and sensory properties of eight wheat noodles formulated with wheat gluten (0, 3 and 6%) and glyceryl monostearate (0, 1. 4 and 2.8%) were investigated. Color parameters and texture attributes were instrumentally characterized. Four visually observed appearance attributes and four manually or orally assessed textural attributes, were sensorially profiled quantitatively. Glyceryl monostearate, at 1.4% and 2.8% fortifica tion levels, had more profound influences than wheat gluten, at 3% and 6% f ortification levels, and exhibited different behaviors in most of the physi cal and sensory properties of cooked noodles. These two additives well sepa rated the eight noodle products along two independent dimensions. As to ins trumental-sensory relations, principal component analysis (PCA), partial le ast squares regression (PLS) and Procrustes analysis (PA) confirmed that th e instrumental and sensory analysis procedures reached a true consensus.