Sensory Quality of Strawberry Jams with a Particular Focus of Kashubian Strawberry Jam

Applicable legal regulations allow Polish farmers to sell agricultural produce and products made from them. This activity enables the creation of a new market of natural food, which is competitive in relation to industrially produced food. The aim of the research was to compare the quality of strawberry jam available on the market with its counterpart produced on farms. The studies compared the extract content and sensory quality of 11 strawberry jams available in retail with jam from the Kashubian Strawberry certified with EU PGI. The content of the extract and intensity of 17 sensory markers characterising the appearance, consistency, taste and aftertaste of strawberry jam were assessed. The study was conducted using quantitative descriptive analysis – QDA. The strawberry jam which was compared was characterized by a very large diversity of sensory characteristics in terms of brightness, opacity, colour intensity of red and softness. The smaller variation was characterised by an intensity of features relating to elasticity, acidic and chemical taste as well as sweet, dry and fruity aftertaste. Industrial jams were similar in terms of quite a perceptible sweet taste and viscosity and average perceptible fruit taste. The jam obtained from the Kashubian Strawberry was not inferior to the quality of industrial-grade jam. It stood out in comparison with a high content of extract, attractive red colour and greater softness. Compared to commercial jams, it had a higher intensity of fruity, sweet and sour taste, and a distinctly fruity aftertaste, with no foreign notes.