Du Xiaofen, Wang Xinwang, Muniz Adriana, Kubenka Keith
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX 76204, USA.
USDA-ARS Pecan Breeding & Genetics, College Station, TX 77845, USA.
Plants (Basel). 2022 Jul 9;11(14):1814. doi: 10.3390/plants11141814.
Pecan is one of the top five most widely consumed tree nuts, and pecan nut quality is a major factor for consideration in breeding better pecan cultivars for use by producers. However, the pecan industry faces a hurdle to evaluate its nutmeat taste, and there has so far been limited evaluation of consumer attitudes toward pecan nutmeat. This study aimed to investigate the consumer (n = 198) hedonic rating, diagnostic sensory attribute intensity, and emotional response for 14 pecan samples, consisting of native/seedling and improved varieties. The results showed all kernels received positive hedonic scores (>5, 9-point hedonic scale) for overall acceptance and the acceptability of size, interior color, typical-pecan flavor, and raw-nut flavor. The primary sensory attributes (intensities > 5.0, 0−10 line scale) were typical-pecan and raw-nut flavors, followed by buttery flavor, sweetness, and astringency. Kernel off-flavors were not perceived in general. For 20 emotion-associated terms, the intensity of the satiating effect was medium, while the energizing effect was lower. The major emotional responses were healthy, satisfied, and comfort, followed by calm, interested, premium, and relaxed. Kernel variety difference was significant (p ≤ 0.05) for all these measured variables. Consumer overall acceptance toward pecan kernels was driven by the acceptability of flavor and interior color, flavor intensities, no off-flavors, and positive emotional responses; kernel size was not an impactful factor. The six most preferred varieties were 86TX2-1.5, Pawnee, Barton, 1997-09-0012, 1991-01-0026, and Harris Super. This study is the first to use consumer input to assess nut quality and consumption preference and will be foundational to ongoing breeding programs to develop new pecan cultivars that will better meet consumer preferences and expectations, and therefore will be accepted by the processing industry and growers.
山核桃是消费最为广泛的五大坚果之一，山核桃坚果品质是培育更优良山核桃品种供种植者使用时需要考虑的主要因素。然而，山核桃产业在评估其果仁口感方面面临障碍，并且迄今为止，对消费者对山核桃果仁态度的评估有限。本研究旨在调查198名消费者对14个山核桃样品（包括本地/实生苗品种和改良品种）的享乐评分、诊断性感官属性强度和情感反应。结果表明，所有果仁在整体接受度以及大小、内部颜色、典型山核桃风味和生坚果风味的可接受性方面均获得了积极的享乐评分（>5，9分享乐量表）。主要感官属性（强度>5.0，0-10线性量表）为典型山核桃味和生坚果味，其次是黄油味、甜味和涩味。总体上未察觉到果仁有异味。对于20个与情感相关的词汇，饱腹感效应的强度为中等，而提神效应较低。主要的情感反应是健康、满足和舒适感，其次是平静、感兴趣、优质和放松。所有这些测量变量的果仁品种差异均具有显著性（p≤0.05）。消费者对山核桃果仁的总体接受度受风味和内部颜色的可接受性、风味强度、无异味以及积极的情感反应驱动；果仁大小不是一个有影响的因素。六个最受欢迎的品种是86TX2-1.5、波尼、巴顿、1997-09-0012、1991-01-0026和哈里斯超级品种。本研究首次利用消费者反馈来评估坚果品质和消费偏好，将为正在进行的育种计划奠定基础，以培育出能更好地满足消费者偏好和期望、从而被加工业和种植者接受的新山核桃品种。
