The aim of the study was to determine whether the size of the served bread sample affects hedonic score and the evaluation of salty taste, and whether consumers differentiate the intensity of salty taste between bread samples with different salt content, as well as whether they perceive different salt contents of the same type of bread, when they eat the sample with a topping. We conducted a sensory evaluation on three samples of prepackaged white wheat breads and three samples of plain rolls with a 30-member panel of young consumers. We used three different sensory methods: hedonic liking with a 9-point hedonic scale, the Just About Right scale (JAR) and sorting by salty taste intensity and sample liking. In addition, we performed a chemical analysis of dry matter, ash and certain mineral content in the evaluated samples. To gain insight into shopping and eating habits related to bread, we conducted an online survey of 252 adults. Based on sensory estimates and statistical data processing, we found that sample size did not significantly affect the hedonic estimates and liking of the samples, as we found no statistically significant differences between the two sample sizes. In bread as well as in plain rolls, we observed that the addition of cheese raised the average hedonic score of the samples, regardless of samples size. When classifying the samples according to salt content, there were no significant differences in the results, regardless of sample size. In addition, less than half of the participants correctly classified the samples of breads and plain rolls with and without cheese, according to the analysed salt contents. The chemical analysis allowed us to compare the declared and the analysed salt contents that were within the tolerances, but showed a slightly different ranking of the samples in terms of salt content compared to the original, as assumed from the declarations.
|
