Food Research International 138 (2020) 109749 Available online 28 September 2020 0963-9969/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. A cross-cultural sensory analysis of skim powdered milk produced from pasture and non-pasture diets Z. Cheng a, b , M.G. O’Sullivan b, * , J.P. Kerry c , M.A. Drake d , Song Miao e, f , D. Kaibo f, g , K. N. Kilcawley a, * a Department of Food Quality and Sensory Science, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork P61 C996, Ireland b Sensory Group, School of Food and Nutritional Science, University College Cork, T12 R220, Ireland c Food Packaging Group, School of Food and Nutritional Science, University College Cork, T12 R220, Ireland d Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center, Box 7624, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7624, United States e Department of Food Chemistry and Technology, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, P61 C996 Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland f China-Ireland International Cooperation Centre for Food Material Science and Structure Design, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China g College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Cross-cultural sensory Bovine diet Skim milk powder Volatile analysis ABSTRACT Understanding potential cross-cultural sensory differences in the perception of Irish dairy products is important for key markets such as the USA and China. As most Irish dairy products are produced from pasture derived milk, this study investigated the impact of pasture and non-pasture diets on the cross cultural sensory perception of skim milk powder (SMP) in Ireland, USA and China. SMP was produced from cows fed outdoors on ryegrass (GRS), ryegrass/white clover (CLV), and indoors on trial mixed rations (TMR). SMP samples were evaluated by Irish (n = 78), USA (n = 100) and Chinese (n = 106) consumers using an identical hedonic sensory acceptance test in Ireland, USA and China. Optimized Descriptive Profling (ODP) was performed using trained assessors familiar with dairy products in Ireland (n = 25) and China (n = 22), and traditional descriptive analysis was undertaken by a trained panel (n = 7) in the USA. Volatile analysis was undertaken on each SMP sample. He- donic assessment found that USA consumers preferred SMP derived from TMR, and Irish consumers preferred SMP from either GRS or CLV. Chinese consumers perceived SMP samples differently to the USA and Irish con- sumers, but preference was not infuenced by diet. Both Irish and Chinese trained assessors found it more diffcult to discern differences between GRS or CLV SMP, but could differentiate TMR SMP. Irish assessors preferred GRS and CLV SMP. Chinese and Irish assessors had different preferences for many attributes. Trained USA panelists found signifcant differences, exclusively associating pasture based diets with “cowy/barny” and “cardboard/wet paper” attributes and more intense “grassy/hay” attributes than in TMR SMP. The abundance of ten volatile compounds differed signifcantly based on diet with acetoin derived from carbohydrate metabolism at much greater abundance in TMR SMP. This study found that sensory perception and volatile profles of SMP were infuenced by diet and differences in sensory perception existed between the three cultural groups. Irish and USA sensory responses aligned with familiarity of dairy products derived from pasture and non-pasture diets, respectively, and Chinese sensory responses differed to Irish and USA responses likely refecting their lack of familiarity with dairy products. 1. Introduction There is an increased demand for pasture-fed dairy products result- ing from consumer perceptions of a healthier, “added value” and “more natural” products than those derived from indoor feeding systems (Kil- cawley, Faulkner, Clarke, O’Sullivan, & Kerry, 2018). From a nutritional point of view, bovine milk derived from pasture feeding provides better protein, omega-3, and vitamins than from conventional indoor ration * Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses: maurice.osullivan@ucc.ie (M.G. O’Sullivan), kieran.kilcawley@teagasc.ie (K.N. Kilcawley). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Research International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodres https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109749 Received 28 February 2020; Received in revised form 18 September 2020; Accepted 23 September 2020