Search and Validation of Acidity References in Sensory Evaluation of Pepper

The accreditation of sensory methods for quality control of specific products requires the fulfillment of interlaboratory tests. These tests are one of the requirements to guarantee the technical competence of the laboratories in an independent way. In order to compare the laboratory results, it is convenient to use references in judge training. This investigation shows the efficiency of the references for evaluating the intensity of the acidity during sensory quality control of peppers with protected designation of origin (PDO). Such references are prepared from a vegetable food matrix. Three references have been obtained for the acidity intensity and they have been tested with three sensory panels from different laboratories. The samples used belonged to a PDO. It also compared the use of two response scales in a trained panel. The results show a high correlation between both response scales and it can be considered as a preliminary study of the development of acidity references to be used for improvement of sensory quality control procedures of some type of pepper. Practical Applications This study provides the guidelines for development of acid references in a vegetable food. These references are relevant to minimize the variability in sensory evaluation for quality control of protected designation of origin. The use of a reference standard for intensity is helpful in intercomparison testing studies.