Use of Multivariate Analysis Methods in the Sensory Evaluation of Sweet Potato Chips

Aims: To determine the acceptance of sweet potato chips through the application of multivariate analysis methods. Study Design: Sweet potato chips were subjected to sensory analysis. Place and Duration of Study: Study was carried out at Laboratory of Agriculture of the State Technical School Arlindo Ferreira dos Santos, Sertânia-PE, Brazil, During the pedagogic show held on November 23rd and 24th, 2017. Methodology: The sweet potato was minimally processed with the aid of a multiprocessor of food (Metvisa) to obtain the chips. Sensory analysis was performed according to the hedonic scale of nine points: 9 = as extremely and 1 = not extremely like. The tasters attributed notes to the appearance of the attributes, aroma, flavor and color. Results: Factorial analysis made it possible to reduce the variables for two common factors, being factor 1, the factor containing the highest original information (88.05% of the original variation was explained by this factor). Subsequently, the cluster analysis allowed the formation of three groups of tasters presenting different characteristics. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the use of multivariate analysis methods becomes important in the verification of the acceptance of new products to be submitted to the evaluation by the consumer, taking into account the differences presented in this evaluation, aiming at the commercialization of these products.