Table 2 Sensory quality descriptors used in the evaluation of fresh carrot roots and their definitions
Quality descriptors | Definition | Boundary terms |
|---|---|---|
Carrot smell | The characteristic smell of raw carrot | Imperceptible (0)- Very intense (10) |
Mild odour | Positive impression when sniffing the carrot sample | Imperceptible (0)—Very intense (10) |
Outer skin colour | Visual assessment of skin colour intensity | Light orange (0)—Dark orange (10) |
Colour of the longitudinal section of the root | Visual assessment of root section colour | Light orange (0)—Dark orange (10) |
Crispness of the flesh | The intensity of the sound heard when biting the sample with the front teeth | No sound (0)—Very noisy (10) |
Hardness of the flesh | The force required to crush the sample with the molars | Soft (0)—Hard (10) |
Crunchiness of the flesh | Repetitive noises when chewing the sample with the molars | Short sound (0)—Long and loud sound (10) |
Flesh juice | The impression of a free-flowing juice when crushing a piece of carrot | No juice (0)—Very juicy (10) |
Sweetness | Basic taste | Imperceptible (0)—Very intense (10) |
Earthy taste | Aromatic characteristics of the wetland | Imperceptible (0)—Very intense (10) |
Overall quality score | Overall impression covering all quality descriptors | Poor quality (0)—Very good quality (10) |
Preference | Feeling after evaluation of core samples | I do not like strongly (1)—I like strongly (6) |