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

ABSTRACT This study was carried out to determine the sensory acceptability of chicken breast fillets marinated with 13 different commercially available Indian‐style marinades. Thirty‐four naïve assessors (untrained panelists), 20 Malaysian and 14 European, were selected to assess the following sensory attributes: color, color uniformity, Tikka‐Masala aroma, Tikka‐Masala flavor, herblike flavor, hotness, authenticity, juiciness and overall acceptability. The color of the cooked samples and the pH, moisture and fat content of the marinades were analyzed instrumentally. Marinades were applied to the chicken fillets, which were then dry cooked at 170C for 15 min to an internal temperature of 73C. Sensory evaluation showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in color uniformity, hotness and juiciness of the cooked marinated chicken perceived between groups. Samples marinated with marinades L and I received the highest score from the Malaysian panelists in terms of overall acceptability, whereas marinades A and F were chosen by the European group.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe findings from this research will benefit manufacturers of marinade and marinated chicken products in developing or optimizing their products for the local and international markets. The optimal characteristics of an ideal marinade were identified for each assessor group. These results are also of interest to individuals undertaking cross‐cultural consumer studies, even though the results presented here used naïve assessors.