Validation of the pivot profile method with untrained evaluators for the sensory description of hams

Abstract

Recent advances in sensory evaluation have allowed the development of rapid description techniques that stand out by eliminating training time and thus minimizing the costs involved in forming and maintaining a trained panel. The Pivot Profile Method uses a comparison approach against a reference and is derived from the free description method, as no descriptor or scale is imposed. Although not widely used, it has been used in various food products such as wines, coffee, and yogurt. The aim of the investigation was to validate the performance of the "Pivot Profile" method with consumers in the evaluation of different ham formulations, based on comparison with the description obtained by trained evaluators. Both methods obtained similar descriptors, and a clear difference was observed between the evaluated samples. It was shown that 30 consumers were sufficient to obtain a sensory characterization similar to that obtained by trained judges. The two-dimensional space generated through the statistical processing of the Pivot Profile was highly similar to the space generated by trained tasters when evaluating using a conventional profile. The method also made it possible to identify which attributes are important to consumers, and from a practical point of view, it is quick, simple, and easy for evaluators to understand.