Evaluation of an international ring trial for sensory profiling of hard cheese

The results of the analysis of data from a ring trial, carried out by sensory laboratories in seven countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) are reported. Samples of the same batches of twelve varieties of cheese were tested. The protocol for this ring trial was developed from that used in an earlier ring trial in which each laboratory used its normal procedures for descriptive profiling (Nielsen and Zannoni, 1998). The major element of the revised methodology was the consensus vocabulary. All laboratories were able to differentiate between the cheese varieties using the new vocabulary, hence showing a high degree of agreement between assessors within a laboratory. There was a very high degree of agreement between laboratories on the use of attributes for 'Texture', with a high degree of agreement for 'Aroma, Taste' and for 'Smell'. A Generalised Procrustes Analysis (GPA) of the laboratory means showed that the samples lay in the same underlying sensory space and that the laboratories agreed about the location of the samples in the space. There were some differences in the interpretation of the underlying sensory dimensions consistent with differences in the use of the attributes by the different laboratories. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved