A Standardized Aroma Lexicon and Sensory Wheel for Characterizing Aroma Quality of Traditional Korean Doenjang

Traditional Korean doenjang is a spontaneously fermented soybean paste with complex and variable aroma characteristics, but a standardized sensory language for describing its aroma quality has not been established. This study developed a reference-based aroma lexicon and aroma wheel for traditional Korean doenjang and evaluated their applicability for sensory characterization. Eighty-one traditional doenjang samples collected from nine regions of Korea were evaluated by a trained descriptive sensory panel. The panel identified 80 aroma descriptors, which were defined with reference standards and organized into 10 first-level and 19 second-level categories, including fermented soybean-related, fish-related, fruity, sweet, dairy-associated, lipid-related, vegetable-like, roasted, grain-like, spicy, sour, and miscellaneous aroma characteristics. All descriptors significantly discriminated among samples after false discovery rate correction (q < 0.05), and the median eta-squared and omega-squared values were 0.885 and 0.878, respectively, indicating strong sample-related variation. Hierarchical cluster analysis supported the organization of major descriptor groups, particularly fermented soybean-related, fruity, dairy-associated, roasted, vegetable-associated, and fish-related attributes. Principal component analysis showed broad dispersion of the samples, suggesting that aroma profiles were influenced more by differences among individual traditional doenjang products than by geographic origin alone. An applicability assessment using 12 representative samples selected from the original sample set supported the practical coverage of the established lexicon without requiring additional major descriptors. These results provide a standardized sensory framework for describing the aroma quality of traditional Korean doenjang and support its use in quality evaluation, product development, sensory communication, and future sensory-instrumental studies of fermented soybean foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The aroma lexicon and sensory wheel developed in this study can help producers, researchers, and quality control personnel describe the aroma quality of traditional Korean doenjang using consistent terms. The full lexicon provides a comprehensive reference framework, while selected descriptors from major aroma categories can be used as a reduced working lexicon for product-specific quality evaluation, sensory training, product development, and communication of aroma differences among fermented soybean products.