Influence of the Physical State of Two Monofloral Honeys on Sensory Properties and Consumer Satisfaction

Honey is a worldwide known and appreciated food product. Its appreciation by consumersis due to both its nutritional properties and the extremely reduced processing. The floral origin,color, aroma and taste are key factors in determining the quality of honey. Nevertheless, rheologicalproperties, as crystallization rate, play a fundamental role in the perceived overall quality. Indeed,crystallized honey is often considered of poor quality by consumers, but a fine-grained or creamytexture is becoming interesting from the producers' side. The purpose of this study was to investigatetextural and aromatic properties and consumers' perception and acceptance of two monofloralhoneys that were differently crystallized. Liquid and creamy samples were obtained from crystallizedsamples. Physico-chemical, descriptive and dynamic sensory analysis, as well as consumer and CATAtests, were conducted on the three honey textures. The physico-chemical analysis well-discriminatedthe crystallization levels and evidenced that, although the honey variety was different, the texturalproperties of the creamy samples are very similar. Crystallization was shown to affect the honeysensory perceptions: liquid samples were sweeter, but less aromatic. Consumer tests allowed thevalidation of panel data and confirmed consumers' higher appreciation for liquid and creamy honey.