Sensory Quality and Panel-Based Acceptability of Selected Edible Flowers
https://doi.org/10.31749/2451-0858-SaS-2026-406
Abstract
The growing interest in functional foods and innovative food products has contributed to increasing attention being paid to edible flowers as ingredients used in gastronomy and food production. Despite their nutritional and health-promoting properties, the market success of edible flowers depends largely on panel-based acceptability, which is strongly influenced by sensory perception and visual quality attributes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the sensory quality and panel-based acceptability of selected edible flower species and to identify the sensory attributes associated with higher acceptability scores. The research material consisted of five edible flowers: acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), pansy (Viola tricolor), elderflower (Sambucus nigra), white clover (Trifolium repens) and daisy (Bellis perennis). Sensory evaluation was conducted by a trained panel of ten assessors using a five-point scale. The assessment included overall acceptance, external appearance, colour intensity, taste characteristics, aroma attributes, texture parameters and overall palatability. The results demonstrated significant differences in panel-based acceptability among the flower species that were analyzed. Pansy, clover and daisy achieved the highest acceptability scores, while all the flowers received positive ratings for external appearance. The findings indicate that visual attractiveness and colour intensity were the most important factors associated with higher acceptability scores, whereas selected taste attributes played a less significant role in shaping acceptance. The study confirms that flowers characterized by attractive appearance and intense colour received higher acceptability scores from the trained sensory panel. These findings provide useful implications for producers and distributors, highlighting the importance of quality management practices aimed at preserving the visual quality of edible flowers throughout storage, packaging, and distribution processes.
Keywords:
edible flowers , consumer acceptance , sensory evaluation , visual quality , food quality , consumer behaviourDownload files
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Vol. 26 (2026)
Published: 2026-01-01
10.31749/2451-0858-SaS

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
English
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