The effect of culinary preparation on carbohydrate composition, texture and sensory quality of Jerusalem artichoke tubers (Helianthus tuberosus L.)

•Eating quality of raw, boiled and baked Jerusalem artichoke tubers was evaluated.•Texture and sweetness were the best sensory descriptors of variety differences.•Crispness and instrumental hardness of boiled tubers were positively correlated.•Sweetness was positively correlated to total sugar content of raw tubers.•Mass loss during baking was higher in spring than in autumn.

The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tuber is a root vegetable with excellent gastronomic qualities, however the culinary properties are underexploited. Carbohydrate content, instrumental texture analysis and sensory profiling were used to study the effects of culinary preparation in three different varieties of Jerusalem artichoke tubers at two different harvest times. Texture attributes and sweetness were the best sensory attributes to discriminate between varieties, although differences in texture and taste were somewhat evened out during boiling and baking. Instrumentally measured hardness and modulus declined in the order raw, boiled and baked. A positive correlation was determined between sensory crispness and instrumental hardness (Pearson r = 0.57, P = 0.013) of boiled tubers, but no other correlations were found between sensory attributes and instrumental texture measurements. The inulin content was not correlated to sweetness in any culinary preparation, but total sugars and sweetness were positively correlated in raw tubers. The mass loss during baking was higher in tubers harvested in spring than in autumn, indicating that the water binding capacity and cell membrane integrity of tubers declined during overwintering.