Sensory and instrumental characteristics of integral pasteurized milk

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the sensorial profile of whole pasteurized milk, and to relate the sensorial and instrumental results. Five samples of different brands of whole pasteurized milk were randomly collected (brands A, B, C, D e E) in different supermarkets in the city of Erechim, RS, two of which were homogenized and three were not homogenized. The instrumental color measurements were
performed using CIELAB (L*, a*, b*) scale. The sensorial attributes were evaluated through the Free Profile descriptive analysis and the acceptance test was performed by 44 consumers using a hybrid hedonic scale of 9cm. From the results it was possible to verify that milk samples which were submitted to homogenization during the manufacturing process of pasteurized milk showed a whiter coloration and a more
homogenous appearance when compared to samples of milk that were not submitted to homogenization. However, these sensorial terms did not influence the acceptance of the milk, once the sample with the lowest mean value (3,8) for acceptance was a milk brand submitted to the homogenization. By analyzing the relationship between the results of the studied variables, it was possible to observe a strong correlation between the sensorial and instrumental measurements performed in the different milk samples, demonstrating the importance of the correlation between these analytical approaches for the food industry and researchers, since the descriptive sensorial analyzes are obtained with greater demand of time and cost.