VEGETABLE AND FRUIT DEHYDRATION 171 



Procedure for Quality Tests 



Samples are reconstituted by methods already described. These are 

 accumulated in sets of 10 to 20 individual samples. A small amount 

 of the material is placed in a paper cup, and the cups are numbered in 

 a series. Care is taken to avoid numbering that permits identifica- 

 tion of the sample. Each juryman is provided with one complete set 

 of samples, which he grades without consultation with his neighbor 

 juryman. 



The charts are collected and summaries are made of the opinions 

 of the graders. The results are weighted qualitatively and reports 

 are made on each quality factor (table 17) . 



For example, the carrot samples in table 15 were graded by 10 

 experienced graders and the results were summarized by the use of 

 symbols to + + + . The colors were determined and the degree of re- 

 turn in form was noted. Thus Sample PT67 was sweet in taste, nat- 

 ural in flavor, moderately soft and tender when it had reached 68 per- 

 cent of its original water content and had been boiled for 5 minutes 

 without previous soaking. The color was good, and although the 

 cubes were still somewhat wrinkled, the sample was reported good. 



Several weeks later other lots of the same varieties of carrots were 

 harvested, dehydrated, and tested organoleptically. In this instance 

 there was little sweet taste in the sample, the flavor was natural but 

 weak, and it was crisp and tough after 5 minutes of boiling. This 

 would have been reported poor but since it was obviously underdone, 

 other sets were prepared by boiling 20 minutes without soaking and 

 5, 10, and 20 minutes after soaking overnight (17% hours). When 

 all the tests were summarized, it was found that 20 minutes of boil- 

 ing without previous soaking yielded the maximum quality in the 

 samples. Long soaking gave higher coefficients, and in two instances 

 equivalent quality, but in sample P120 the quality after soaking 17y 2 

 hours and boiling 20 minutes was poorer than when boiled without 

 soaking. It lost taste and flavor and became very turgid and hard. 



Jury Selection and Training 



All jurymen should be trained to recognize the qualities in a stand- 

 ard sample before they are permitted to pass on unknown samples, 

 and, when available, standard samples should be included in the daily 

 series. The following suggestions may be helpful. All graders or 

 jurymen should be persons who like fruits and vegetables; who have 

 poise, intelligence, and integrity ; whose living and eating habits are 

 reasonably regular; whose health is reasonably good (certainly free 

 from gastro-intestinal diseases). A jury of five or more is recom- 

 mended. 



The testing should be carried out over a short period of time, and the 

 room should be quiet enough to permit concentration on the part of the 

 grader. Under no circumstance should' a grader be interrupted or dis- 

 tracted while rating the samples. The grading should be- done in a 

 room free from smoke, stale odors such as come from pipes and ciga- 

 rette butts, old samples, and disagreeable chemical reactions. 



The grading of odor is difficult and for the most part unsatisfactory, 

 but offensive or stale odors should' be noted by the jurymen and given 

 due weight in the final score for the sample. 



