Sensory characterization of doda burfi (Indian milk cake) using Principal Component Analysis

Traditional sweetmeats of various countries hold a great and promising scope in their improvement and in order to tap the potential of the same, several companies and co-operative federations have started their organized production. Doda burfi, a heat desiccated and popular sweetmeat of northern India, is one of the regional specific, unfamiliarized products of India. The typical sweetmeat is characterized by caramelized and nutty flavour and granular texture. The purpose of this study was to determine the close relationship among various sensory attributes of the product collected from renowned manufacturers located in four different cities and to characterize an overall acceptable product. Individuals from academia participated in a round table discussion to generate descriptive terms related to colour and appearance, flavour and texture. Prior to sensory evaluation, sensory panel was trained and briefed about the terminology used to judge the product involving a descriptive intensity scale of 100 points for describing major sensory attributes. Results were analyzed using ANOVA and principal component analysis. Correlation table indicated a good degree of positive association between the attributes such as glossy appearance, dark colour, caramelized and nutty flavour and cohesive and chewy texture with the overall acceptability of the product.