A. Shakerardekani - Pistachio Research Center, Horticultural Sciences Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rafsanjan, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Pistachio nut (Pistacia vera L.) is one of the popular and nutritious tree nuts in the world. Pistachio spread is a new product which is made from pistachio paste, icing sugar, Soy Protein Isolate (SPI), and Red Palm Oil (RPO). This study involved sensory acceptability (by ۳۲ assessors) using Hedonic scale and development of suitable terminology for describing pistachio spread using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA). This study represents the first report on using QDA for sensory evaluation of pistachio products. The QDA method is used to determine the sensory profile of the two pistachio spreads with higher acceptability in the Hedonic scale (Formulation ۱۲ including ۵۰% pistachio paste, ۳۰% icing sugar, and ۲۰% RPO and Formulation ۱۶ including ۵۸.۳% pistachio paste, ۲۵% icing sugar, and ۱۶.۷% RPO). According to the results, RPO has a direct effect on the sensory acceptance of pistachio spread (P< ۰.۰۵). Eight panelists were selected for evaluation of pistachio spread. Twenty attributes (in terms of appearance (green color, visible particles, glossy), aroma (sweet, roasted, nutty, milky/creamy), flavor taste (beany, sweet, oily, bitter, nutty, creamy), texture (stickiness, oiliness, firmness, adhesiveness, spreadability), and aftertaste (bitter, astringency) were identified and developed for the product. No significant difference was observed in all pistachio spread formulations attributes, except for sweetness (P< ۰.۰۵).

Hedonic test, Panelist, QDA, Red palm oil, Sensory evaluation