Identifying Flavors August 4, 2011

Cheese & Fromage: Common Cultures 28th Annual ACS Conference & Competition

Workshop: Identifying Flavors August 4, 2011

Christine Chénard, Consumer Research Division With the collaboration of Yannick Achim [email protected]

1 Workshop Contents

. Introduction . Some theory: The basics . Some definitions . A few exercises

. A lot of fun !

2 The senses and pleasure

“God, by forcing Humans to eat to survive, invites them to do so with appetite and rewards them with pleasure.” J.A. Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826

3 Eating habits and food preference

Photo sauterelles

4 Our Senses

. Traditionally, we consider that humans have 5 senses, a classification attributed to Aristotle (we might have as many as…16 senses)

. All 5 of them are stimulated when it comes to evaluating food.

5 Our Senses

Vision (sight) : 80% of all sensory information that the brain analyses comes from our sight. Officially, it can determine colors, hues, brightness. But, we do more with it.

6 Our Senses

Audition (hearing): with foods, it comes from 3 sources: . Direct sound (vibrations) propagated through air . Detected as vibrations conducted through the body by tactition . Or vibrations conducted by the soft and hard tissues in our mouth and teeth

. Tactile Senses (touch): helps evaluate the texture of a food (in hands and mouth) and it includes 3 types of stimulus : . Tactiles or pressure . Thermal (temperature) . Kinesthetics (pain)

7 The importance of our mouth : GUSTATION (taste)

At birth, humans have, on average, 10,000 taste buds, localized on the tongue (75%), soft palate, pharynx and cheeks.

Once we reach adult life, there are about 4,000 left.

8 The importance of our mouth : GUSTATION (taste)

For ages (Since 1901, D. Hanig), we thought that there were specific sites on the tongue to taste salt, sweet, sour and bitterness; NOT TRUE.

Our perception of taste may vary : • Adaptation (the same stimuli stands in mouth for a long period of time or many tastings of the same flavour) • Food temperature • Food texture (gels or solids vs liquids) • External factors (smoking, medication and quantity/quality of saliva)

9 Importance of OLFACTION (smell)

“It has been observed that one’s nose is never so happy as when it is thrust into the affairs of another, from which some physiologists have drawn the inference that the nose is devoid of the sense of smell.”

Ambrose Bierce (American Writer, Journalist and Editor 1842-1914)

10 Importance of OLFACTION (smell)

. One of the most determinant of the 5 senses

. Humans can distinguish more than 10,000 different smells (odorants)

. “Tasting” = 95 % olfaction and 5% gustation.

11 What can influence our smell?

Normally, only 5 to 10% of volatile molecules reach the olfactory cells.

Decrease Increase

. Habituation (after a while, we start . Sniffing increases intensity of the to ignore it), saturation, fatigue stimuli whereas inhaling from mouth diminishes it. . Disease, accidents . The temperature of the mouth and chewing increase the release of the molecules.

. One’s concentration and attention will facilitate perception : Practice.

12 Definitions Definitions

Odours A chemical compound that is perceived by the olfactory receptors. 2 conditions: • the compound needs to be volatile, • it needs to be in a sufficiently high concentration

Aroma Volatile compounds that are freed during chewing and then transported to the olfactory system by the retro nasal olfaction.

14 Definitions Taste Soluble compounds that stimulate or are perceived by the taste buds. The basic tastes are : • Sweet (sugar, fruits, honey, some wines or liquor, some cheeses like Emmental) • Salty (table salt, dehydrated soups, cold meats) • Sour (lemon, yogourt, some wines, vinegar, rhubarb) • Bitter (French endive, cocoa powder, coffee, beer, tea, dark chocolate) • Savory or Umami ( syn: brothy, meaty). (cheese, soy sauce, many other fermented and aged foods, tomatoes, MSG)

Flavour In common language, it is synonymous to aroma. In the sensory world, it is the combination of

TASTE + AROMA AND TRIGEMINAL SENSATIONS.

15 Definitions

Trigeminal sensations Stimuli related to pain, temperature or touch that are perceived by the Trigeminal nerve responsible for sensation in the face and mouth.

. Astringency : The word "astringent" derives from latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast". It is the dry, tart, puckering mouthfeel caused by tannins found in many fruits such as blackthorns (sloe berries), bird cherry, quince and persimmon fruits, green banana or banana skins, tannins in young wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, strong dark tea, grape seeds, artichoke. Reference : tannic acid.

. Heat: sensation of intense heat that spreads throughout the mouth : ginger, alcohol. Reference : ethanol.

. Metallic/electric : electric sensation that comes from certain juices from a can : canned pineapple juice, unsalted canned tomato juice. Reference : copper glucosane (oligosol), iron sulfate.

. Pungency/piquant : heat and tingling sensation that persists for a few seconds even minutes. Eg : chili pepper, onion, garlic, mustard, radish, olive oil. Reference : Capsaïcin.

. Cooling : cooling effect stimulated by fresh mint, anis seed, erythritol, etc. Eg: mint/peppermint, a few white wines. Reference : menthol. 16

Rules:

1. Identify one leader per table 2. The leader takes the box: do not reveal what is inside 3. Follow instructions Basic tastes

Exercise 1: 2 minutes

• What is this basic taste?

19 Smell

Exercise 2: 3 minutes • What is this flavour? Smell

Exercise 2: instructions • Pinch nose with one hand • Remove paper with the other hand • With nose still pinched: What is this flavour? • Now, with your nose “free”: What is this flavour? Discrimination of odours –

Exercise 3: (10 minutes) What are they? Discrimination of odours –

Exercise 3: Instructions There are 5 to 6 containers per table Punch some holes in the foil with tooth pick. Do not remove the foil Smell/sniff each What are they? Put answer on answer sheet Discrimination of odours –

Exercise 3: Answers

293 Straw 383 Black pepper

428 Onion soup (powder) 455 Butter cookies

775 Walnut 781 Mushrooms Influence of memory on identification

. Detection and memorization : sniff a lot and often. You will notice a brand new world surrounding you. Being attentive facilitates memorization.

. Discrimination:

• Recognize : we are able to recognize only what we know. (how would you be able to recognize someone you haven’t met yet?)

• Identify : a memory, a resemblance will link the perceived aroma to a word: sometimes clearly and spontaneously and sometimes slowly and vague.

Sometimes lexicons help since they put a word to a sensation.

26 Some lexicons: the Comté Aroma Cheese Wheel Some lexicons: Cheese Flavour Wheel Some lexicons: the Wine Aroma Wheel Some lexicons: the Comté Aroma Cheese Wheel How to “taste”: the chronology

1. Appearance (form, colour, brightness, etc.) 2. Odour 3. Texture (both in hands and mouth) 4. Taste and sensation in mouth (trigeminal) 5. Aroma a) Attack b) Aromatic persistence (lingering taste) c) Aftertaste

31 How to better evaluate?

May change from product to product and types and of information required

1. Smell the product whole. 2. Cut a piece (if possible) and warm it with your hand. Smell again. Write perceived odours. 3. Take another piece of cheese. Spread it out in mouth and press product against tongue (if possible). 4. Breath in air during chewing (mouth closed). 5. Chew well: break, homogenize, emulsify, spread well in mouth to maximize taste and aroma. 6. Write down perceptions at the beginning (initial phase for texture and attack phase for aroma). 7. Write perceptions afterwards (chewing phase and intermediate aroma) then at the end, after swallowing (residual phase, aromatic persistence and after-taste).

32 Importance of texture on our appreciation of food

Texture varies a lot throughout the chewing phase, between the time one puts food in mouth and when one swallows it. 1. Initial phase 2. Chewing phase 3. Residual phase

During this time, one’s able to evaluate: . The texture on surface: size and form of the cells, their orientation, the evaluation of the humidity and the sensation of fat on surface, and, the time it takes to melt. . Compression (with our fingers for some foods, but mainly with our mouth for all other foods): elasticity, resistance to break, sticky, viscosity, crunchy, hardness, density, uniformity, juiciness. . Cohesion: does it disappear or melt rapidly or does it resist to chewing? . Residual : does it stick to teeth, is there a lasting film on tongue and mouth?

Exercise 4: 15 minutes

Description of 3 cheeses Exercise 4: Description of 3 cheeses

Instructions: • First, do it on your own • Use the Cheese wheel lexicon, if you wish and the suggested form (box) • Once everybody has done the 3 cheeses, share description with your table companions • The leader will gather all information Comté Aroma Cheese Wheel Exercise 4: Description of 3 cheeses

Exercise 4: Description of 3 cheeses Appearance Cheese 1 Cheese 2 Cheese 3 Rind Interior Odour

Texture 1st phase: Texture on surface (humidity, fat) During chewing Compression (elastic, resistance to break, sticky, hardness, density, uniformity,…) Cohesion (disappears, melts rapidly, resist to chewing) At the end Residual (stick to teeth, lasting film on tongue and mouth) Taste Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami Trigeminal sensations Astringency, Heat:, Metallic, Pungency/piquant, Cooling Aroma First impression “Attack” During chewing Finish: lingering aromas (Higher and lower notes) Aftertaste Exercise 4: Description of 3 cheeses

Exercise 4: Description of 3 cheeses Riopelle, Sauvagine, Lady Laurier, Appearance Coopérative Îles-aux-grues, Fromagerie Alexis de Portneuf, Fromagerie du Village 1860, Québec, Cow’s milk Quebec, Cow’s milk Quebec, Cow’s milk Rind Interior Odour

What are the main taste attributes of these 2 cheeses Comté Aroma Cheese Wheel Exercise 5:

Exercise 5: What are the main taste attributes of these cheeses Appearance Cheese 1 Cheese 2 Rind Interior Odour

Exercise 5: What are the main taste attributes of these cheeses Gruyère, 18 months, Old Amsterdam, Appearance Importations J.L.Freeman, Holland (Huizen-North Holland), Switzerland (Bern), Unpasteurized cow’s milk Pasteurized cow’s milk Rind Interior Odour

Learn to see, learn to hear, learn to feel, learn to smell, and know that by practice alone you can become expert.

William Oster quotes (Canadian Physician 1849-1919)

44 Conclusion

Thank you for your participation !

Christine Chénard, VP, Consumer Research Division [email protected]

45 The sensory evaluation at Cintech…