Sensory comparison of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) farmed in the Adriatic and Sardinian Sea

Italy, with Spain and France, is a top producer of molluscan shellfish in the EU; the national production of bivalve mollusc (111,000 tons) accounts for 63% of the Italian aquaculture size and mainly consists in farmed Mediterranean mussels (M. galloprovincialis). Mussels have an interesting nutritional value making them ideal for the human diet; however, being cultured in extensive systems, their quality entirely depends on natural resources. Recent studies highlighted that mussels from different Spanish and Portuguese production sites can be distinguished by biometric, nutritional and sensory characteristics (Olivera et al., 2014). Such differences could help to register seafood products by a Protected Designation of Origin. The experiment aims at a quick, explorative sensory profiling of mussels cultured in different Italian rearing sites. M. galloprovincialis of commercial size, from Arborea (OR), Marano Lagunare (UD) and Goro (FE) after heat treatment (85°C for 10 minutes) Sous vide cooking and chilling, were analyzed using Flash Profiling in both the conventional method (CFP), with a free generation of sensory attributes, and the guided method (GFP), with a selection of sensory attributes from a precompiled list. Products were evaluated by two panels of 8 untrained assessors each, during two parallel sessions of sensory analysis, comprising three replicates each. Data collected with the FIZZ software (Biosystem, Couternon, F) were subjected to GPA by Senstool software (O&P Product Research BV, 1998). The same average number of attributes, 13, were considered by the two methods, but GFP proved more reliable (Permutation test) in providing the sensory profile of mussels originating from different areas. The experiment showed significant differences in flavor characteristics between mussel groups; "sweetness" was the prevailing perceived feature of mussels cultured in the Adriatic Sea, while "salty", "brackish", "marine" and "seaweed" were the most recurrent sensory attributes selected to describe the mussels farmed in the Sea of Sardinia.