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Visitors at a trade fair in Zurich preÂferred extra virÂgin olive oils with a ripe, fruity, and sweet taste over those that were more bitÂter and punÂgent, accordÂing to a study reported in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Consumers, even those conÂsidÂered more knowlÂedgeÂable about gourmet foods, exhibÂited a clear prefÂerÂence for the sweeter taste, showÂing a lack of familÂiarÂity with the posÂiÂtive senÂsory attribÂutes and health benÂeÂfits of high qualÂity extra virÂgin olive oil that has a bitÂter and punÂgent taste.
Americans are not the only conÂsumers who disÂlike the bitÂterÂness of high qualÂity extra virÂgin olive oil. Visitors at Gourmesse, a popÂuÂlar trade fair in Zurich, who evalÂuÂated 140 samÂples, preÂferred EVOOs with a ripe, fruity, and sweet taste over those which were more punÂgent and bitÂter.
The study, reported in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, invesÂtiÂgated the overÂall prefÂerÂence of EVOOs by visÂiÂtors to the fair. Eighty perÂcent of the parÂticÂiÂpants were from Switzerland; deep in butÂter counÂtry to be sure, but a place where the Mediterranean diet has a small foothold.
The 140extra virÂgin olive oil samÂples tested for conÂsumer accepÂtance were parÂticÂiÂpatÂing at the International Olive Oil Award in Zurich. More than half of these samÂples, 74 to be exact, came from Italy, while 43 were from Spain, and the rest were from Greece, Portugal, and Turkey.
The Swiss Olive Oil Panel conÂducted senÂsory analyÂsis of the samÂples and catÂeÂgoÂrized 7 perÂcent as good, 58 perÂcent as very good and 45 perÂcent of them as excelÂlent, in terms of their flaÂvor and senÂsory qualÂity. Overall, the expert panÂelists clasÂsiÂfied all the EVOOs to be of high qualÂity and withÂout any defect.
Consumers at the fair, conÂsidÂered more knowlÂedgeÂable of gourmet foods than averÂage, evalÂuÂated theÂexÂtra virÂgin olive oil samÂples using a nine-point hedoÂnic scale to indiÂcate their prefÂerÂence.
Surprisingly, the conÂsumers liked only 19 perÂcent of all the samÂples evalÂuÂated, exhibitÂing a disÂtinct difÂferÂence in expecÂtaÂtion and interÂpreÂtaÂtion ofexÂtra virÂgin olive oil qualÂity from the Swiss Olive Oil Panel.
The visÂiÂtors, 51 perÂcent male and 49 perÂcent female, had a clear prefÂerÂence for the ripe, fruity, and sweet EVOOs and disÂliked the bitÂter, punÂgent, and green fruity taste of high qualÂity samÂples.
Phenolic comÂpounds are responÂsiÂble for the bitÂterÂness and punÂgency of extra virÂgin olive oil. They are also the comÂpounds related to the health benÂeÂfits assoÂciÂated with conÂsumpÂtion of olive oil.
The authors conÂcluded that conÂsumers are unfaÂmilÂiar with the posÂiÂtive senÂsory attribÂutes, and the assoÂciÂated health benÂeÂfits, of high qualÂity extra virÂgin olive oil that has a bitÂter and punÂgent taste.
Consumers in the United States also had an averÂsion to the bitÂter and punÂgent taste of high qualÂity extra virÂgin olive oils, accordÂing to a UC Davis study.