*2.2. Sensory Analysis*

Quantitative descriptive analysis of EVOO samples was performed by the Panel for sensory analysis of VOO of the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreˇc (Croatia), accredited for VOO sensory analysis according to the EN ISO/IEC 17025:2007 standard and authorized by the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture for official VOO testing from 2012, and recognized in continuation by the IOC from 2014. The panel consisted of eight assessors (4 female, 4 male, average age 39) trained and accredited for VOO sensory analysis according to the International Olive Council (IOC) method adopted by the European Commission Regulation [1]. As well, all the tasters have had long-term

involvement in EVOO research and have gained large experience in Croatian monovarietal EVOO sensory analysis. Qualitative (selection of descriptors/attributes by consensus and standardization of vocabulary) and quantitative (intensity of perception) criteria of the tasters were attuned by audibly tasting representative samples of Croatian monovarietal EVOOs through several preliminary training sessions. The panel agreed that the sensory attributes which best describe the investigated monovarietal EVOOs were the same for all varieties and among those commonly perceived in EVOO, but differed with respect to the ratios of their intensities. The panel used a modified profile sheet expanded with particular positive odor and taste attributes, which were quantified using a 10 cm unstructured intensity ordinal rating scale from 0 (no perception) to 10 (the highest intensity). For evaluating general quality attributes, a 10-point overall structured rating scale from 0 (the lowest quality) to 10 (the highest quality) was applied. For overall quality evaluation, VOOs were graded with points from 1 (the lowest quality) to 9 (the highest quality). Before each session, the tasters attuned their criteria with respect to the intensities of the perceived sensory attributes by tasting the same standard reference VOO sample, a blend characterized by all the selected sensory attributes/descriptors. According to the sensory analysis, all the investigated samples were classified as EVOO (no defect, fruitiness > 0).
