Evaluation of the olfactory pattern of black olives stuffed with flavored hydrocolloids

A sensory panel and an electronic nose (E-nose) were used to discriminate olives stuffed with flavored hydrocolloids submitted to different thermal treatments. The aroma perceived by the tasting panel before the sterilization was considered to be highly intense. However, the application of a single sterilization caused a 35–42% decrease in aroma intensity perceived by tasters. The aroma intensity also decreased when the number of sterilizations increased, but the tasting panel did not detect differences between them. The sterilization led to an increase in the ‘cooking effect’ that was less detected by panelists when the olives were flavored. The E-nose showed that the olives subjected to sterilization presented a different aromatic profile. Thus, the E-nose was able to discriminate the three treatments applied with greater precision than the tasting panel. E-nose technology offers a fast, inexpensive and non-destructive method for discriminating between olives stuffed with flavored hydrocolloids submitted to sterilization.