Quantitative sensory characterisation of, and distinction between, Argentine ciders

Abstract

This work reports the quantitative sensorial characterisation of Argentine ciders from the Patagonia and Cuyo regions. Argentine cider has been undervalued by consumers in recent years - a challenge to which the academic and manufacturing sectors have risen. Sensory analysis characterised 17 large scale (‘industrial’) and one small scale (‘artisanal’) Argentine ciders. Some of the ciders had a fruity aroma with predominant apple notes, whereas others had unwanted sediment and sulphite odours. Based on the quantitative aroma results, the ciders were distinguished by principal components analysis (PCA) with two groups discriminated by the apple and sediment descriptors. The ciders were similarly characterised and distinguished by flavour. The work reported here can be used by cider producers to improve their products.