Descriptive Analysis of Juice from Six Elderberry Cultivars

A study was conducted to quantify juice characteristics and to evaluate sensory attributes of juice from six elderberry (Sambucus spp.) cultivars using descriptive analysis. Fruit was harvested from a replicated trial including ‘Bob Gordon’, ‘Marge’, ‘Ocoee’, ‘Ozark’, ‘Wyldewood’, and ‘York’ planted at Mount Vernon, Mo. ‘Bob Gordon’ and ‘York’ juices had the lowest hue values and were visually browner in color than samples of other cultivars. ‘Wyldewood’ and ‘York’ juices had the lowest total soluble solids and titratable acidity. Also, ‘Wyldewood’ and ‘York’ juices had higher pH values than samples from all other cultivars except for ‘Bob Gordon’. For sensory analysis, berries were heated to 80 °C for 5 min before pressing and sucrose was added to adjust each juice sample to 13° Brix. Trained panelists identified 24 terms for descriptive analysis of elderberry juices. Elderberry juices were characterized by processed aroma and flavor, but varied in fruity, floral, sweet aromatics, bitter, sour, sweet, and astringent flavors and bitter and sweet aftertastes. ‘York’ juice had relatively high intensity ratings for fruity, floral, sweet aromatics, and sweet flavors and lower ratings for bitter aftertaste as compared with those from other cultivars. Development of a formal lexicon for American elderberry with defined attributes provides a basis for future elderberry sensory research.