Use of verjuice as an acidic salad seasoning ingredient: evaluation by consumers' liking and Check-All-That-Apply

Verjuice is an unfermented juice produced by pressing unripe grapes used as acidifying in food preparations. In this study, the drivers of consumers' liking of three acidic salad seasonings (verjuice, lemon juice, and white wine vinegar) were compared by Check-All-That-Apply test. Results showed that overall liking scores were not different for salads seasoned with verjuice and lemon juice, whereas they were significantly higher for those seasoned with vinegar. The liking was associated with moderate sweetness and vinegar aroma typical of vinegar, while it was opposed to lemon aroma, astringent, bitter, high acidity, aqueous viscosity, yellowish color of seasoning, herbaceous, and vegetable aroma typical of lemon juice and verjuice. The approach used resulted appropriate to identify the drivers of liking. Results showed that verjuice can be a valid alternative to common acidic salad seasoning, and indicated the directions for future improvements of this product.