SENSORY EVALUATION OF CHINESE‐STYLE MARINATED CHICKEN BY CHINESE AND EUROPEAN NAÏVE ASSESSORS

ABSTRACT This study was carried out in order to determine the sensory acceptability of chicken breast fillet marinated with retail and commercially available Chinese‐style marinades. Forty‐nine naïve assessors, including 25 European and 24 Chinese, were selected to assess 17 sensory attribute of 18 Chinese‐style marinades, anonymously coded according to their specific flavor group: (1) Szechuan, SZ (A–D); (2) Sweet and Sour, SS (E–J); (3) Hoisin, HO (K–P); and (4) Chinese 5 Spice, FS (Q–R). The attributes includes color (bright red, dark brown, color penetration), aroma (liking, pungency, spiciness), flavor (liking, spiciness, hotness), specific flavor ratings (Szechuan, Sweet and Sour, Hoisin, Barbeque, Chinese 5 Spice, authenticity), juiciness and overall acceptability. The instrumental color of the cooked samples and pH, moisture and fat content of the marinades were also analyzed instrumentally. Marinades were applied to the chicken fillets and dry cooked at 170C for 15 min to an internal temperature of 73C. Sensory evaluation showed that there were significant differences between both naïve assessor groups in all attributes measured, excluding bright red color, sweet and sour and flavor authenticity (P < 0.05). Samples marinated with marinades FS‐Q and SS‐G received the highest score in term of overall acceptability by the European assessors, whereas HO‐L was chosen by the Chinese assessor group. The European naïve assessors were also found to successfully differentiate the Chinese marinade products according to four specific flavors (Szechuan, Sweet and Sour, Hoisin and Chinese 5 Spice). Although the optimal characteristics of an ideal Chinese marinade were identified by the European group, the Chinese perception for Chinese‐style marinated products available in the Irish market were less acceptable and were considered non‐authentic.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe findings from this research will benefit marinade and marinated chicken product manufacturers, when developing or optimizing their ethnic products for the local and international markets. The European naïve consumers were found to successfully differentiate the Chinese marinade products according to four specific flavors. Although the optimal characteristics of an ideal Chinese marinade were identified by the European, the Chinese naïve assessor's perception for Chinese‐style marinade products available in the Irish market were less acceptable and lacking in authenticity. These results are of interest to individuals undertaking cross cultural consumer studies, even though the results presented here used naïve assessors.