Sensory profiling of Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) meat

•A sensory lexicon was developed for Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) meat.•Reference standards were used; guineafowl, Pekin duck, ostrich and broiler chicken.•Chemical and physical drivers of sensory quality were established.

No sensory profile information is available for Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) meat. The aim of this study was to conduct descriptive analysis in order to establish the sensory attributes of the breast portion of this species. Meat from guineafowl, Pekin duck, ostrich and broiler chicken were used as reference species. Egyptian goose meat had a very intense game aroma, game flavour and metallic aftertaste, mainly attributable to the muscle's high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and Fe. Egyptian goose meat was also low in tenderness and high residue; this may be due to the high level of physical exercise endured by the breast muscle. Egyptian goose meat proved to be similar to ostrich meat regarding appearance (dark, red colour) and low tenderness, but differed from guineafowl and broiler chicken, the latter two meat types illustrated a higher degree of juiciness and tenderness. These results of Egyptian goose meat can now be used for further sensory studies as it is important to also establish the influence of extrinsic factors such as season and gender on the meat quality of this waterfowl species.