Abstract—Considering edible flower’s various uses in culinary, health benefits, and its low consumption, is essential to evaluate the sensorial aspects of preparations with it to verify the acceptance of these ingredients. Were used three samples of salads with leaves and flowers, which were evaluated by thirty-five volunteers who analyzed it according to hedonic characteristics and indicated their preference. Attributes as color, texture, aroma and overall aspects, in all samples, obtained scores that characterized acceptance of the preparations, while attributes as flavor showed a higher number of rejection or indifference. Between the samples analyzed, the one that presented minor rejection over flavor was the sample with higher degree of irradiation, perhaps by present sweeter flavor, because of higher irradiation exposure. This study shows that population is receptive to consume edible flowers, but it needs to improve disclosure and alternative recipes to attract the consumers.
 

Index Terms—plants, edible, sensory evaluation, consumer behavior

Cite: Natália K. Simoni, Fernanda F. Santos, Thainá A. Andrade, Anna Lúcia C. H. Villavicencio, and Maria Elisabeth M. Pinto-e-Silva, "The Use of Edible Flowers in Human Food: Sensory Analysis of Preparations," International Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 140-143, June 2018. doi: 10.18178/ijfe.4.2.140-143