Understanding the sensory characteristics of various types of milk using descriptive analysis and electronic nose

The objectives of this study were: 1) to develop the sensory lexicons of milk marketed in Korea, 2) to investigate the effects of pasteurization and milk composition on the sensory qualities of milk, and 3) to evaluate the correlation between descriptive analysis and the electronic nose method. Electronic nose and descriptive analyses were conducted to analyze the sensory characteristics of 14 milk samples. The 14 samples were provided from 4 manufacturers with different pasteurization methods, and varied in fat, calcium, and lactose content. Twenty-six sensory lexicons were developed to describe the sensory characteristics of the samples. The low temperature, long-time processed milk had a distinctive 'bi-rim' flavor regardless of the milk composition. The lactose-free milks were sweet, and the low-fat milks had relatively low intensities for most flavor attributes. The electronic nose method successfully grouped the milk samples primarily based on their composition, but grouped them weakly by pasteurization method.