Hamid Manhal Gobara, Elsafy Mohammed, Abdelhalim Tilal
Biotechnology and Biosafety Research Center, Agricultural Research Corporation, Khartoum North, Sudan.
College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum North, Sudan.
Front Nutr. 2025 Aug 26;12:1594589. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1594589. eCollection 2025.
Sensory evaluation is a crucial tool in biofortified pearl millet breeding, influencing consumer acceptance and market expansion. This study aimed to evaluate the sensory attributes and consumer acceptability of stiff porridge () prepared from biofortified pearl millet and its blends with traditional Sudanese cultivars to inform breeding and market strategies.
This study was conducted in 2023 at the Gadarif Research Station, Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Sudan. It evaluated the sensory attributes of stiff porridge () made from biofortified pearl millet (Aziz), two widely adopted Sudanese cultivars (Ashana and Bayoda), and their blended formulations. To analyze consumer segmentation and preference patterns, 28 semi-trained assessors conducted hedonic scoring and rapid descriptive profiling. The data were analyzed using internal preference mapping (IPM), panel analysis, product characterization, and partial least squares regression (PLSR) using XLSTAT.
The results revealed significant variation among the five products (analysis of variance (ANOVA), = 11.84, < 0.001), with the Bayoda + Aziz blend receiving the highest liking score (mean = 7.7) and Aziz alone the lowest (mean = 5.8). Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 71.47% of total variation in consumer preference, while PLSR identified taste, firmness, aroma, and texture as key drivers of acceptance. Panel analysis revealed that firmness ( = 13.22, < 0.0001), color, and appearance exhibited the highest discriminative power among the descriptors. Short-term recommendations include blending biofortified cultivars with preferred local varieties to enhance adoption. Long-term strategies should integrate omics-enabled breeding with sensory and market-oriented selection.
This study provides the first quantitative evidence of consumer sensory preferences for biofortified , emphasizing that blending strategies significantly enhance acceptability. Integrating sensory evaluation into early stage breeding, alongside artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid sensory tools, will accelerate the adoption of biofortification and support nutrition-sensitive breeding.
感官评价是生物强化珍珠粟育种中的一项关键工具，会影响消费者的接受度和市场拓展。本研究旨在评估用生物强化珍珠粟及其与苏丹传统品种的混合品种制作的硬粥的感官特性和消费者接受度，为育种和市场策略提供参考。
本研究于2023年在苏丹农业研究公司（ARC）的加达里夫研究站开展。研究评估了由生物强化珍珠粟（阿齐兹）、两个广泛种植的苏丹品种（阿沙纳和巴约达）及其混合配方制作的硬粥的感官特性。为了分析消费者细分和偏好模式，28名经过半培训的评估员进行了享乐评分和快速描述性剖析。使用XLSTAT通过内部偏好映射（IPM）、小组分析、产品特性分析和偏最小二乘回归（PLSR）对数据进行分析。
结果显示，这五种产品之间存在显著差异（方差分析（ANOVA），F = 11.84，P < 0.001），巴约达 + 阿齐兹混合品种的喜好得分最高（均值 = 7.7），单独的阿齐兹得分最低（均值 = 5.8）。主成分分析（PCA）解释了消费者偏好中71.47%的总变异，而PLSR确定味道、硬度、香气和质地是接受度的关键驱动因素。小组分析表明，硬度（F = 13.22，P < 0.0001）、颜色和外观在描述符中具有最高的区分能力。短期建议包括将生物强化品种与受欢迎的当地品种混合，以提高采用率。长期策略应将基于组学的育种与感官和市场导向的选择相结合。
本研究首次提供了消费者对生物强化硬粥感官偏好的定量证据，强调混合策略可显著提高接受度。将感官评价与人工智能（AI）和快速感官工具一起纳入早期育种阶段，将加速生物强化的采用，并支持营养敏感型育种。
