Physicochemical and sensorial characterisation of Argentine ciders

Abstract

This work reports the physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of industrial and artisanal ciders from the Patagonia and Cuyo region of Argentina. Argentine cider has been undervalued by consumers in recent years and the academic and manufacturing sectors are looking to respond to this challenge . A novel sensorial panel for evaluating Argentine cider was developed, which to our knowledge is the first o f its kind for cider. Principal components analysis of the physicochemical data grouped the ciders by their manufacturing type (industrial or artisanal). Cluster analysis identified three groups of ciders defined by their alcohol and reducing sugar content. Most of the industrially made ciders were sweetened whereas the artisan ciders generally had the lowest sugar content. Correspondence analysis of the sensorial data revealed that the assessors found more differences in aroma than in taste. On tasting, alcoholic and oxidation notes differentiated 56.5 and 60.9% of the ciders respectively.