Development of a sensory lexicon for a specific subcategory of soy sauce: Seasoning soy sauce
General lexicons have been developed to describe sensory characteristics of soy sauce. However, no study has examined a large sample set of seasoning soy sauce, a subcategory of soy sauce, and developed a lexicon to fully describe its specific sensory characteristics. In this study, a wide variety of seasoning soy sauces (n 25) were examined by a descriptive panel composed of nine highly trained panelists and a lexicon consisting of 34 attributes was developed. Each attribute was defined and referenced. Results showed that almost all attributes were needed to explain the common sensory characteristics found in seasoning soy sauces. However, five terms may be used occasionally to describe targeted specific sensory characteristics. As compared with published general lexicons of soy sauce, the current lexicon revealed eight new attributes that were specific to seasoning soy sauces. In addition, new references were also developed for some attributes, thus providing new choices of references for researchers. Practical applications Understanding sensory characteristics of seasoning soy sauce, an increasingly popular flavoring ingredient, is very useful for manufacturers to capture or improve product qualities in order to strengthen their competitiveness in the marketplace. A developed lexicon from this study can be used to determine sensory quality of seasoning soy sauces accurately and precisely. The lexicon can also facilitate communication regarding product quality among sensory scientists, product developers, marketing professionals and suppliers.