Important Sensory Attributes Affecting Consumer Acceptance of Sorghum Porridge in West Africa as Related to Quality Tests

Studies were conducted in Niger, West Africa to determine the most important sorghum porridge quality parameters that affect consumer acceptance. Consumer sensory evaluation was carried out on 14 sorghum cultivars varying in pericarp colour and endosperm hardness. Laboratory analyses were then conducted to determine the physical and chemical properties of the grain responsible for porridge quality. Porridge texture was evaluated using three different techniques and porridge colour was measured using the Hunter Lab colorimeter. Results were compared with consumer ratings. The textural characteristics of stickiness in the mouth and cohesiveness were found to be the most important sensory attributes, followed by the taste and aroma of the product. Instron slope measurement was the most reliable objective method for predicting consumer response to texture followed by the penetrometer method. The gel consistency test showed some association with consumer rating for porridge texture but had no significant relationship with consumer ratings of porridge texture intensity. A wide range of porridge colour was acceptable to consumers with only brown or dark-coloured porridge being rejected. Consumer rating for porridge colour correlated significantly with Hunter L and ΔE values. Porridge quality was affected by grain hardness, but none of the proximate components (ash, fat, and protein) of the decorticated grains correlated with the texture of the product.