Sensory evaluation of β-ionone in Négrette red wine among sensitive and hyposmic young adults: Integration of genotyping, descriptive, and hedonic analyses

This study investigated how β-ionone influences the sensory description and liking of red wine among young panelists differing in sensitivity to this compound. An initial phase aimed to establish reliable odor detection thresholds (ODT) directly in the base wine from Vitis vinifera Négrette containing a basal β-ionone concentration of 0.11 µg/L, given the lack of available data for untrained panellsts. ODTs were estimated at 6.9 µg/L and 2589.5 µg/L for sensitive and hyposmic panelists, respectively. These values guided the selection of β-ionone addition levels (control, 5, 10, 25, and 50 µg/L) for a second phase, in which wines were evaluated using Check-All-that-Apply (CATA) and liking tests. Panelists were characterized through OR5A1 genotyping and ODT measurements in water. The wine containing the highest β-ionone concentration received the highest Violet.like rating from sensitive panelists, while overall liking did not significantly differ between samples. Hyposmic panelists showed variable responses, particularly for Fruity and Red.fruited attributes, and gave lower liking scores. Penalty analysis confirmed Red.fruited attributes as positive drivers of liking in both subgroups, and revealed a presumably expectation effect in hyposmics, who positively rated Violet.like despite impaired perception. These findings are likely transferable to other red wines with a comparable basal β-ionone level and a similar ODT to that determined in the present study. They highlight a critical point for food research in general, illustrated here through wine as an example, namely the importance of accounting for individual olfactory sensitivity in sensory studies and consumer research. More broadly, the integrated framework combining OR5A1 genotyping with descriptive and hedonic sensory analyses provides a replicable approach for investigating aroma compounds subject to specific anosmia in complex food matrices.