The dynamic sensory evaluation of bitterness and pungency in virgin olive oil

The study illustrates the temporal perception of bitterness and pungency in monovarietal autochthonous virgin olive oils stored up to 18 months. Samples were kept at 10 °C and 28 °C. Analyses were performed by a trained sensory panel utilising a time-intensity (TI) evaluation technique. A general analysis revealed an overall trend of decreased bitterness and pungency intensity and duration with storage in all the oils, primarily related to temperature of storage and in minor extent to the storage time. Bitterness was the dominant sensation in oils just after the production for all the analysis duration. In contrast, in the aged samples, bitter taste rapidly decreases, and pungency therefore becomes (although it is also decreasing) the prevailing sensation of the TI measurement. Moreover, the study revealed some differences in timing and duration of the sensory perception of both the attributes among oil samples, in relation to their varietal origin.