Sensory properties and shelf life of Lucanian sausages

Ten panellists used quantitative-descriptive analysis to assess sensory properties on 10 Soppressata sausages, 5 based on com- mercial pork (MO) and 5 obtained from pigs reared on farm (FO), at 3 different storage time (0, 3, 6 months). A 104-member onsumer panel was asked to rate its liking for 6 out of 10 prod- ucts in 3 conditions: tasting without information (blind B), infor- mation about meat origin without tasting (expected E), tasting with information (actual A). Odour was higher in FO products (P<0.05), whereas elasticity (P<0.001) and flavour (P<0.05) were perceived as more intense in MO. Storage time influenced fat colour, seasoned flavour and cohesiveness (P<0.001) that showed lower intensity with increasing time, whereas smoked flavour, chewiness, bitterness (P<0.001), saltiness (P<0.05) and rancid flavour (P<0.01) increased with storage time. PLS dis- criminant analysis, combining descriptive and consumer liking (explained variance: Factor 1=34% and 57% for X and Y, respec- tively; Factor 2=12% and 35% for X and Y, respectively), showed that liking was positively correlated with fat hue and fat diameter and negatively correlated with bitterness. In addition, PLS allowed to identify attributes more important in products differ- entiation such as meat and fat colour, brightness, fat diameter, seasoned flavour, chilli-odour, bitterness and elasticity. Consumers rated 5 of the 6 products above the central point (5=neither pleasant nor unpleasant) for perceived liking, indi- cating their good eating quality. Both expected liking scores (FO and MO) were higher then perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (P<0.001) and above the central point, due to a satis- factory consumer trust in legislation transparency in the case of FO and local processing methods in the case of MO. Expected liking scores were higher for FO than for MO (P<0.001). Two products were rated very pleasant with blind scores similar to expected ratings (no disconfirmation). Surprisingly, for all products MO information produced a contrast effect as a consequence of a negative disconfirmation, which means that actual liking moved in the direction opposite to the expectations. Conversely, when FO information was given, in most cases no effect was found on actual liking, therefore sensory properties prevailed in orienting consumer liking.