Comparison of odour sensory profiles performed by two independent trained panels following the same descriptive analysis procedures

Odour sensory profiling of 28 associations of cheese ripening micro-organisms was performed by two panels of 10 assessors on two different sites. Sample preparation, training protocols and references, tasting procedures and scoring were similar in the two laboratories. Panel 2 used 10 attributes and panel 1 used these terms plus 4 extra descriptors. Analysis of variance and multivariate methods (canonical variate analysis, generalised procrustes analysis and STATIS) exhibited differences between assessors within a panel and between panels concerning the use of the scoring scale and the strength of product discrimination by attribute. Panel 1 was more sensitive to fruity notes and panel 2 to sulphury odours. However, a good overlap in the separate and pooled analyses suggested the same sample clustering in three main groups and showed that the 2 panels gave consistent results.