sensory evaluation of cider rev 2015

Sensory Elements of Cider Taste, Mouthfeel, Flavor, Aroma

Charles McGonegal & Gary Awdey CiderCon 2015

Chicago, IL

Methodology •  A series of spiked samples to highlight

elements – First Flight : Taste and Mouthfeel – Short Break – Second Flight : Aroma and Flavor

•  Keep your Reference Sample! – Request more reference as needed – We’ll tell you which other samples to keep

•  Taste as for wine – Swirl, Sniff, Slurp, Chew – Bread & water for palate cleansing

Reference

•  ‘New World’ Cider (BCJP ‘Common’ Cider) – Dessert & Culinary Apple Blend – 5.5 %ABV – 5.3 g/L titratable acidity. – pH 3.64 – 330 mg/L Gallic Acid Equivalents – Backsweetened to 2% RS with AJC – <1.9 volumes CO2

Cider Simplified Sour

Sweet

Bitter

Body

Astringent

Fruit Aromas

Ferment Aromas

Aging Aromas

Taste & Mouthfeel

•  Taste – Tastebud driven – Sweet, Sour, Bitter

•  Mouthfeel – Texture experience – Body : viscosity – Astringent : friction, pucker, velvety

Taste & Mouthfeel

•  Reference •  Sample 1 X Reference •  Sample 2 X Reference

Taste & Mouthfeel

•  Sample 0 = Reference •  Sample 1 = Malic Acid •  Sample 2 = Carbonic Acid

O=C=O

Taste & Mouthfeel

•  Sample 3 X Reference •  Sample 4 X Reference

Taste & Mouthfeel

•  Sample 3 = Ethyl Alcohol •  Sample 4 = Sucrose

Taste & Mouthfeel •  Sample 5 X Reference •  Sample 6 X Reference

Taste & Mouthfeel

•  Sample 5 = quinine •  Sample 6 = apple polyphenols

Chlorogenic Acid

Phloridzin Epicatechin

Procyanidin

n=2

Break

•  Stretch •  Snack – refresh palate •  Socialize •  10 minutes

Aroma & Flavor

•  Aroma – Olfactory – Volatile compounds

•  Flavor – Aroma Experienced in the Mouth

Cider Standardized

Aroma & Flavor

•  Carbonyls – Sample 7 – Sample 8 – Sample 9 – Sample 10

•  Aroma Overlays – Sample 11 – Sample 12 – Sample 13 – Sample 14

•  N & S – Sample 15 – Sample 16 – Sample 17

Aroma & Flavor •  Sample 7 X Reference •  Sample 8 X Reference

Aroma & Flavor

•  Ethyl Acetate

Aroma & Flavor Ethyl Acetate

•  <50 ppm solution: indistinctly fruity, may be a positive attribute

•  50-150 ppm: slightly sour, solventy •  >150 ppm solution: harsh, sour,

reminiscent of nail polish remover at higher concentration

•  Sample presented is 120ppm. •  A component of vinegar (along with acetic

acid)

Aroma and Flavor

•  Ethyl Acetate Classified as volatile acidity •  Temporary byproduct of normal

fermentation (in moderate levels) •  A product of acetic acid and ethanol

(warning sign of acetification) •  Directly from Zymomonas (bacteria),

especially in French cider

Aroma & Flavor •  Sample 9 X Reference

Aroma & Flavor

•  Acetaldehyde

NADH NAD+

+O2

Aroma & Flavor Acetaldehyde

•  Sensed as: Grassy taste, raw apple skins, bruised apples, green apples

•  At higher levels it may be a sign of cider sickness (Framboisé)

•  Reminiscent of banana peel or rotten lemon

•  Produced from pyruvate intermediate caused by Zymomonas infection

Aroma & Flavor Acetaldehyde

– Zymomonas is resistant to SO2 treatment – Stopped by pH less than 3.7 and lack of glucose/

fructose – Zymomonas likes warm temperature 25-30

degrees C (77-86 degrees Fahrenheit)

Aroma & Flavor

•  Diacetyl

Aroma & Flavor Diacetyl

•  Yeast product at higher temperature •  Product of lactic acid bacteria

Aroma & Flavor

•  Sensed as: buttery, artificial butter flavor, butterscotch flavor, rancid butter

•  0.2-0.4 ppm may round out flavor in some ciders but there is no consensus on desirability

•  Greater than that (especially above 1 ppm) it becomes a clear detractor

•  Sample used is 2 ppm

Aroma & Flavor

•  Fusel esters

Isoamyl Acetate

Phenylethyl Acetate

Phenylalanine Leucine Valine Threonine E)-2-octenoic acid

ethyl ester

Propyl Acetate Amyl Acetate

Aroma & Flavor Fusel Esters

•  Fusel esters are produced by yeast during fermentation.

•  Several yeasts are offered by various suppliers to enhance this character

•  Acetates added as “natural flavor” blur the lines between cider as a craft product and manufactured commodity

•  Sample presented is a blend of propyl, amyl, isoamyl and phenethyl acetates

Aroma & Flavor •  Ethyl Phenolics

Chlorogenic Acid

p-ethylphenol

p-ethylcatechol

p-ethylguaiacol

Aroma & Flavor “The 4-Es”

•  4-ethyl phenol (plastic Band-Aid, mothballs, dog feces) 500 ppb

•  4-ethyl guaiacol (smoky ham, clove, spicy) 1 PPM

•  4-ethyl catechol (barnyard, horse blanket) 2 2 ppm

•  Commonly found in English West Country style ciders

Aroma & Flavor “The 4-Es”

•  Produced by lactobacillus •  Legal caveat: It is starting to be more

apparent which bacilli produce more desirable results. However the only bacteria currently approved by the TTB for MLF in wine is Oenococcus oeni (nee Leuconostoc oeni).

Aroma & Flavor

•  Fruity Oils

Hexanol

Butanol Amyl Alcohol Isoamyl Alcohol

Hexenal Hexenol

Ethyl Acetate

Aroma & Flavor •  Sample 14 X Reference •  Interactive!

•  Add the contents of the vial to the base a little at a time

•  Where do you like it? ¼, ½, all of it?

Aroma & Flavor •  Barrel Extract

Furans Toast / Sweet

Vanillin Vanilla / Wood

Eugenol Cresol

Spice / Smoke Whiskey Lactone

Coconut / Wood

Aroma & Flavor

•  Mouse

Lysine Acetyl tetrahydropyridine

Acetaldehyde

Aroma & Flavor Mousiness

•  At near-threshold levels it reminds some people of Cheerios (toasted oat cereal)

•  At higher levels it reminds people of the bottom of a rodent cage or wet animal fur

•  A serious fault in cider when detected


•  Ability to detect mousiness varies greatly from person to person

•  Potentially a source of significant disagreement between people evaluating cider


•  Source: Lysine non-thermal Malliard products •  Stable at low pH (high acid) •  Volatile at higher pH (reduced acid) •  Volatilizes to various degrees in saliva in the mouth


•Not caused by brettanomyces but related to conditions that favor brett: • Oxygenation poor handling or storage conditions • Low SO2

-Not enough added -No free SO2 remaining due to being bound by products of excessive amount of rotten fruit


Baking soda mouth rinse -Temporarily increases sensitivity to mousiness for most people by raising pH of the mouth -Useful in competitions in verifying presence of mousiness during judging (and settling disagreement) -No special recipe—just a small spoon of baking soda stirred into a glass of water.

Aroma & Flavor •  Sample 16 X Reference •  Sample 17 X Reference

Aroma & Flavor •  Sulfur Faults

Sulfite Sulfur Dioxide

Diethyl Disilfide Thio Esters

sensory evaluation of cider rev 2015

Food