The Application Of Consumer Preference Test In The Breeding Of Spinach

Sensory evaluation is a critical tool to understand the sensory characteristics of food and has been gradually used in vegetable breeding.Among them,the consumer preference test plays an important role in evaluating whether vegetable cultivars are favored by consumers.There are abundant germplasm resources of spinach in China.The application of consumer preference test in the selection of spinach cultivars and the exploration of differences in sensory characteristics and preferences of different cultivars would provide reference information for spinach breeding in the future.In this research,firstly,40 varieties of spinach were evaluated by consumer preference test and physicochemical analysis to explore the major factors affecting consumers’ preference for raw and blanched spinach as well as the correlation between consumer liking and physicochemical characteristics.Secondly,8 varieties of spinach favored by consumers were selected and tested for flavor preference and related flavor substances to explore the specific flavor attributes affecting consumers’ flavor preference and the correlation between flavor liking and spinach flavor components.Finally,three of spinach varieties were selected and stored in the household storage method commonly used by consumers,and the samples during storage were evaluated for their appearance liking and physicochemical determination,so as to explore the changes and varieties differences of sensory and nutrient quality during storage.The experimental results are as following.(1)40 varieties of spinach had significant difference in appearance,flavor,texture,ascorbic acid and mineral content.The major factors affecting the overall liking of raw and blanched spinach were the morphology and flavor of spinach.Correlation analysis showed that consumers preferred smaller and greener spinach.(2)The most popular materials in flavor were SP20,SP26 and SP31.Spinach flavor,sweetness,saltiness,umami taste,aftertaste in sweetness had a positive impact on flavor preferences;grass flavor,earthy flavor,metallic flavor,boiled flavor,sourness,bitterness,astringent taste,aftertaste in sourness,aftertaste in bitterness,aftertaste in astringentness had negative influence on flavor preference.Sweet taste was the most important factor in flavor preference.Aldehydes,alcohols,ketones and alkanes were related to the flavor of spinach.(3)The sensory and nutritional qualities of spinach decreased with the extension of storage time and were affected by storage temperatures and materials.Refrigerator storage was benefit for maintaining spinach quality and extending the shelf-life.During storage,SP31 achieved highest weight loss,highest loss of ascorbic acid,least loss of chlorophyll,and the best appearance liking and highest purchasing intent.