Scientific work and publications

Scientific work and publications


Thesis work


Subject: Role of CO2 in the organoleptic appreciation of champagnes - Experimentation and methodological contributions

Summary : Although easily detectable visually, the olfactory and taste impacts of CO2 in champagnes were still largely unknown. To identify them, the bibliography and the many variability factors prompted us to start working with water, a simpler medium than champagne, to compare the intensities of perception of two states in pairs, with CO2 and without CO2, before moving on to champagnes and the qualification of perceptions. To this end, we used free descriptions because the sensory analysis techniques available did not allow us to obtain reliable olfactory descriptions due to the very rapid evolution of the wines by the effect of degassing, and by very significant differences in inter-individual perceptions.

We identify three main effects with their physiological origins:
- CO inhibition
2 on aromatic molecules,
- increased acid perception
- and the masking of the bitter perception.

Also, the CO
2 forming an integral part of a champagne, the latter with CO2, is defined as 'pleasant' and 'fresh' on the nose, with a 'firm_attack', and a 'long_finish'. The absence of CO2 generates a negative hedonic perception with terms like 'evolution' in the nose, 'lack_of acidity', 'fatty_mouth', 'flat_mouth', 'alcoholic', 'watery' and an 'alcoholic_final'.

These results also showed all the variability of the sensory text collected, its specificity, and the insufficiencies of sensory metrology in the face of olfactory complex and evolving products; we then propose a new general descriptive model, the Pivot© Profile, based on pairwise comparisons.

Thesis: Role of CO2 in the organoleptic appreciation of champagnes

Experimentation and methodological contributions

Bertrand Thuillier - 2007

Development of the Pivot© profile method


Its principle: This method is based on a free expression of the difference between two products, one of which is considered as a pivot, and which will always be present for all the comparisons; then these qualifiers perceived as more and less are counted (additions for the 'pluses', and subtractions for the 'minuses') per product evaluated, after having been grouped if necessary by grids of synonyms. The processing of these counts then makes it possible to identify the characteristics of each of the products by considering the terms of all the judges; it is also possible to identify the characteristics of each of the judges by considering the terms of all the products for each of the judges.

Following the presentation of the method, different applications are given below.

Presentation of the Profil Pivot© method

(Context and presentation)

Perfumes & Evocations Profil Pivot©

Engineering student project carried out in 2011

By Aurélie CALLAC –Elodie GUIDAT –Mélissa KOTULAK –Camille POSTIC With the coordination of Mr Bertrand THUILLIER, and Mrs Anne-Marie PENSE-LHERITIER

Creation of a link between sensory description and evocation with the help of Pivot Profile©

A. Callac, C. Postic, E. Guidat, M. Kotulak  Bertrand Thuillier, A.M. Pensé-Lhéritier

The Profil Pivot© method tested by Inter Rhône to better characterize Luberon whites.

Nicolas RICHARD (In charge of Inter Rhône studies)

AWRI using new technique for sensory analysis

12 Jan 2018

 Australian Wine Research Institute

Characterising inter-and intra-regional variation insensory profiles of Australian Shiraz wines from six regions

 W. PEARSON, L.M. SCHMIDTKE, I.L. FRANCIS, B.T. CARR and J.W. BLACKMAN 

Publications


Various research works were carried out after our first publication on the Profil Pivot© method, in collaboration with professors Catherine Dacremont, Dominique Valentin and Richard Marchal.

Publications on the Pivot Profile:

Pivot© profile - A new descriptive method based on free description

Bertrand Thuillier, Dominique Valentin, Richard Marchal, Catherine Dacremont.

Pivot© profile method: What is the influence of the pivot and product space?

Maud Lelièvre-Desmasa, Dominique Valentin, Sylvie Chollet.

An investigation of the Pivot© Profile sensory analysis method using wine experts: Comparison with descriptive analysis and results from two expert panels

Wes Pearson, Leigh Schmidtke, I. Leigh Francis, John W. Blackman 

Consumer-based product characterization using Pivot Profile, Projective Mapping and Check-all-that-apply (CATA): A comparative case with Greek yogurt samples

Erick A. Esmerinoa, Elson R. Tavares Filho, B. Thomas Carr, Juliana P. Ferraz, Hugo LA Silva, Letícia PF Pinto, Monica Q. Freitas, Adriano G. Cruz, Helena MA Bolini

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