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Implementing the Drinking Water Taste‐and‐Odor Wheel to Improve the Consumer Lexicon
Author(s) -
Phetxumphou Katherine,
Raghuraman Aarathi,
Dietrich Andrea M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.5942/jawwa.2017.109.0122
Subject(s) - odor , sniffing , geosmin , mcnemar's test , taste , lexicon , chemistry , flavor , psychology , audiology , food science , mathematics , artificial intelligence , computer science , medicine , neuroscience , statistics
Flavor lexicons and associated taste‐and‐odor (T&O) wheels are professionally recognized descriptors for beverage sensory qualities that can also be used by consumers. Human subject responses to known odorants were evaluated before and after instruction on using the Drinking Water T&O Wheel (T&O Wheel) lexicon. Fifty‐one naïve human subjects separately sniffed and recorded descriptors for 2‐methylisoborneol (MIB), geosmin, orange extract, and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS). Two months later, subjects were instructed in using the T&O Wheel before sniffing and describing these odorants for a second time. McNemar's test was applied to statistically assess the number of correct answers pre‐ and post‐instruction. Instructed subjects showed significant improvements in correct descriptors for MIB, geosmin, and orange. Instruction increased accuracy of describing DMTS but was not significant. The T&O wheel was reported to be helpful in identifying odorants, and 92% of study subjects preferred to have the T&O wheel when identifying their drinking water odors.