Quality scoring – A tool for sensory evaluation of cheese?

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the relevance of data from quality scoring methodology of ISO/IDF performed by expert assessors for the sensory quality control of cheese. The approach to this evaluation was comparison of quality scoring with sensory quantitative descriptive data from a trained panel and consumer preference data. Significant regression correlations were found between quality scoring and descriptive data in a data set obtained from evaluation of 8, 24 and 40 weeks old Norwegian semi hard Gouda type cheese (n = 459). However, the level of explained variance was low.In a smaller set of data aimed at preference mapping, higher correlations were found between quality scoring and descriptive data. Preference mapping showed that the average consumer and the quality scoring expert assessors disagreed in particular on consistency properties. External preference mapping after segmentation of consumers by hierarchical clustering was found useful. Consumers could be divided into three main clusters. One of these clusters mainly agreed with the expert assessors; the cheese preferences of the two other clusters were in disagreement with expert assessor approval. Thus it would be possible to suggest new product specifications, highly approved by consumers, for the variety of cheese investigated. Adjustments in product specifications according to consumers preferences would enhance relevance of the quality scoring. A high level of explained variance was found between consumers’ overall preference scores and overall quality scores, which could indicate that quality scoring is a relevant, holistic sensory quality measure.

► Quality scoring methodology was compared to consumer and trained sensory panel data.
► Target cheese products for three consumer clusters were described using preference mapping.
► Quality scores was highly explained by consumer preferences, less by sensory panel data.
► Quality scoring methodology was found to be relevant as a sensory quality measure.