Perception of Apple Juice: A Comparison of Physicochemical Measurements, Descriptive Analysis and Consumer Responses

The physicochemical (color, turbidity, total soluble solids, sucrose, d-glucose and d-fructose content, pH, acidity, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity) and sensory quality and consumer perception of differently processed clear and cloudy commercial apple juices were studied. Among eight studied juices, freshly squeezed juices were liked the most by consumers, whereas the cloudy juices not from concentrate and clear juices prepared from concentrate, were significantly less liked. Principal component analysis revealed groups of similar juices, in terms of their physicochemical properties and sensory characteristics assessed both by experts and consumers. The external preference mapping showed a nonhomogenous distribution of individual preferences in relation to juice attributes. Three groups of consumers differing in apple juice preferences were distinguished by means of the agglomerative hierarchical clustering. The sensory and physicochemical data were correlated with consumer acceptance by partial least square regression and cues of acceptance of apple juices were identified. Practical ApplicationsThis study has important practical implications for apple juice industry because it contributes to understanding of the relationship between intrinsic juices characteristics and consumer perception and may help processors determine the final quality of juice. The results obtained indicate that the use of the intensity scale in consumer study may constitute an alternative to sensory panel assessment. The study revealed the heterogeneity of the group of consumers. Application of multivariate analysis enabled the detection of homogeneous segments and the identification of the drivers of liking for the entire group of the consumers and for the separate segments.