Sensory analysis (and new products)

Sensory evaluation allows to identify and quantify the organoleptic profile of chestnuts, highlighting the differences linked to the cultivar, the origin, the agricultural practices or the transformation and/or conservation methods applied. Sensory analysis are performed by a panel of selected experts highly trained on fresh chestnut and its derivatives, which mainly apply a Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA).
Through hedonistic tests is possible to have operational information for the production of innovative or traditional chestnut by-products.
Furthermore, sensorial data are a useful tool to promote local cultivars, supporting the origin labelling, as well as to assessing the best commercial utilisation for each cultivar.
The Center cooperates actively with food companies to introduce technological innovation in the production and transformation chain.