The investigation of the physicochemical and sensory attributes of the pickles prepared using water at different temperature levels

In this master's thesis, six different gherkin pickle samples were prepared using either room temperature water or hot water at 98°C, in combination with apple vinegar, grape vinegar, or lemon slices. These samples were evaluated for their physicochemical properties (pH, color, texture) and sensory attributes (odor, color, taste, texture, and overall appreciation). In terms of pH, hot water samples exhibited lower values, indicating a more effective fermentation process. For example, the pH of the apple vinegar sample with room temperature water (S1) was 3.31, whereas it was 3.21 in the hot water version (S2). The lowest pH value was found in the grape vinegar and hot water sample (S4), with a reading of 3.05. Color analysis indicated that the inner parts of the pickles were consistently lighter than the outer parts. The highest lightness (L*) value was measured in the inner section of the S5 sample (lemon slices + room temperature water), at 62.01. Texture profile analysis showed that hot water samples generally had better structural characteristics. The sample S2, the hot water apple vinegar sample, had the highest values for cohesiveness (0,906), elasticity (1,132), and chewiness (3356). On the contrary, the grape vinegar and room temperature water sample (S3) showed the lowest results in many texture parameters. Sensory analysis revealed that pickles prepared with hot water generally received higher scores. Specifically, the sample prepared with apple vinegar and hot water (coded as S2) achieved the highest ratings in all sensory categories: 7.14 for odor, 6.73 for color, 7.32 for taste, 7.82 for texture, and 7.36 for overall appreciation. The sample with lemon slices and hot water (S6) also received high scores, especially for color and texture. In conclusion, the use of hot water positively affected both the sensory and physicochemical properties of the pickles. The most favored samples were those prepared with apple vinegar and lemon slices using hot water (S2 and S6), highlighting the importance of water temperature in enhancing pickle quality. Keywords: Pickle, Fermentation, Sensory Evaluation, Physicochemical Properties