What Should Your Christmas Sausages Taste Like?
Nofima's professional sensory assessors have evaluated eight Christmas sausages. The tests reveal several differences in taste and texture, though not all may be noticeable to the average consumer.
“Naturally, the biggest taste difference is between smoked and unsmoked Christmas sausages. Besides the distinct smoky taste and aroma, smoked sausages have stronger spice and salt flavors,” explains Gard W. Karlsnes, sensory analyst and project manager at Nofima.
He adds that the sausages tested represent a good mix of both market-leading producers and local food manufacturers. The products were purchased from shops early in the Christmas season, and there are more varieties available than those mentioned here.
Texture Variations
The unsmoked sausages show the greatest variations in texture – that is, how they feel in the mouth while chewing. Some are more finely ground, juicy and springy, while others feel fattier, coarser and harder.
The coarser varieties offer more resistance when chewing. Some consumers fancy these, while others prefer a juicier texture.
The Importance of Aroma
“About 80 percent of what we call taste is actually aroma or smell. You can only detect the five basic tastes – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami – if you hold your nose,” explains sensory analyst and project manager Mats Carlehög, who leads Nofima’s taste panel.
The most noticeable differences the judges identified were in pork aroma, spice aroma and rancid smell, and naturally, smoke aroma in smoked varieties.
“Among the aromas, rancid smell is particularly unwanted, and the sausages that smelled rancid also had a rancid taste,” notes Karlsnes.
While the tests show differences between the sausages, they share clear common traits. They have relatively strong flavours, dominated by spices, salt and pork.– Naturlig nok er det størst smaksforskjell mellom de røkte og de urøkte julepølsene. I tillegg til tydelig røyksmak og –lukt, har røkte pølser sterkere krydder- og saltsmak, sier Gard W. Karlsnes, sensoriker og prosjektleder i Nofima.
The Taste Panel – A Finely-Tuned Human Instrument
Nofima’s sensory assessors are a taste panel with exceptionally developed smell and taste abilities. They can detect tiny nuances and provide precise descriptions of these.
Their descriptions are objective, and they primarily map sensory properties for food and beverages. They don’t judge whether something tastes good or not.
When making their assessments, the assessors sit in individual booths, receiving samples through a wall hatch. It’s crucial that they aren’t disturbed or exposed to stimuli during evaluations. They shouldn’t be influenced by product colors either. In the Christmas sausage test, colors were masked using red lighting.
This year’s selection of Christmas sausages is impressively broad. There’s something for everyone among the traditional pork-based varieties. Moreover, there are Christmas sausages made from other meats like turkey and beef, as well as plant-based alternatives.
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Sensory sciences
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Meat
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