Data on the sensory evaluation of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) from different areas of Hokkaido, Japan, performed by untrained young adults
This data article describes a sensory evaluation of potatoes used in food processing from the Tokachi, Kamikawa, and Abashiri geographic areas of Hokkaido, Japan, performed by untrained young adults. We gathered sensory data on potatoes from the four cultivars ‘Toyoshiro,’ ‘Kitahime,’ ‘Snowden,’ and ‘Poroshiri.’ The sensory evaluation was performed on steamed potatoes from each cultivar; these potatoes were harvested from each of the three geographic areas. Table 1 provides the data from the evaluation of the five basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami), as well as the evaluation of the egumi taste, which is a Japanese term indicating a taste that is acrid, astringent, and slightly bitter.
On the Relationship between Homogentisic Acid and the Egumi-taste of Bamboo Shoots and Hange
Some kinds of bamboo shoots in Japan are good to eat. However, they frequently have a characteristic taste, called "Egumi" or "Egomi" in Japanese, which irritates the root of the tongue. Yoshimura and Nishidal' reported that free oxalic acid and its salts are the principal cause of the egumi taste. According to Hasegawa,2' however, the taste of these compounds differs from the egumi taste and, moreover, their concentration in bamboo shoots is not proportional to the strength of the egumi taste. In canned bamboo shoots and on the surface of cooked slice, crystalline masses of tyrosine frequently appear and the skin of the bamboo shoot has dark patterns of melanin. Therefore, metabolites of tyrosine were tasted and it was found that only homogentisic acid had the egumi taste. Accordingly, the metabolism of homogentisic acid and its relationship to the egumi taste in bamboo shoots and hange were studied. The latter is a Chinese drug for morning sickness and has a strong egumi taste. Methods and results. A. Studies on bamboo shoots. 1. The egumi taste of homogentisic acid. About 0.1 mg samples was tasted and only homogentisic acid was found to have an egumi flavor (Table I).
Relationships Between Food Preferences and Food Acceptance Ratings
A study was conducted to assess relationships between food preference ratings and food acceptability ratings. Acceptability ratings for each of two discriminably different samples of nine food items were obtained using the 9-point hedonic scale. Regression analysis indicated that no linear relationship existed between these ratings and either hedonic or frequency preference ratings of the foods. In addition, the range of acceptability ratings was smaller than the range of corresponding’preference ratings. Panelists’expressed preferences had no effect on their assignment of differential acceptance ratings to different samples of the items. Correlations between preference ratings of laboratory panelists and military field panelists were good, in spite of higher absolute preference ratings assigned by the laboratory panel.