Evaluation of chemical composition and sensory profile in Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L) tubers: The effect of clones and cooking conditions

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) (JA) produces ground artichokes, is resistant to most parasites, diseases and tough conditions such as frost and drought. It has many applications including biofuels or bio-chemicals that do not compete with food supply. Improving the genetic diversity would help meet food demand. Four clones of the JA were studied to determine sensory attributes, facilitate the characterization of each clone and promote a better use and consumption. The sensory attributes of raw and boiled JA tubers have been identified by a trained panel, in compliance with the UNI EN ISO13299: 2010 standard; the geometric mean (M) has been applied to reduce the number of descriptors in order to produce a sensory assessment sheet for tests. The principal component analysis (PCA) of the average values was applied to the data to evaluate the importance of each selected attribute in the samples identification. The results clearly showed that the 16 attributes selected for raw and 14 for cooked are useful for discriminating the 4 clones. Knowledge of the sensory characteristics of different clones of raw and cooked tubers of Jerusalem artichoke can be used to inform consumers about the right choice of Jerusalem artichoke tubers for their needs and therefore increase consumption of this vegetal, which has many beneficial effects on human health.