Co esponding au ho : Ramzie Kelly Dago
Copy igh © 2025 Au ho (s) e ain he copy igh o his a icle. This a icle is published unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License 4.0.
Pe o mance o e alua o s in a desc ip i e analysis o black peppe (Pipe nig um l)
om I o y Coas
Ramzie Kelly Dago *, Djedj o Clémen Akmel, Emmanuel Assidjo and An oine e Yoboue
Depa men o T aining and Resea ch in Chemical and Ag o-Food Enginee ing, Félix Houphoue Boigny Na ional
Poly echnic Ins i u e (INPHB), I o y Coas .
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
Publica ion his o y: Recei ed on 25 Ma ch 2025; e ised on 30 Ap il 2025; accep ed on 02 May 2025
A icle DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.30574/wja .2025.26.2.1551
Abs ac
The objec i e o his s udy was o e alua e he pe o mance o a panel in he senso y cha ac e iza ion o peppe om
I o y Coas h ough h ee c i e ia: disc imina ion, epea abili y and ag eemen . Twel e ained panelis s e alua ed
esh, d y and g ound peppe samples om se en locali ies du ing h ee sessions on wen y senso y desc ip o s. The
analysis was pe o med by XLSTAT e sion 21 using he F iedman es a p<0.05 and p incipal componen analysis
(PCA). The F iedman es e ealed signi ican disc imina ion o all desc ip o s wi h he highes sco es o C unchy
(631.22); Flou y (585.54); Smoo h (683.35); Round (554.84); Rough (674.78). Repea abili y was sa is ac o y o he
majo i y o senso y desc ip o s al hough de ia ions (p<0.05) we e no ed o Hazelnu , Flou y, Bi e and G een. The
PCA showed a good ag eemen be ween judges explaining 63.56% o he o al a iance. Finally, he highes s anda d
de ia ions we e obse ed o he samples o g ound peppe om Yakassémé (2.68), esh om Ma é é (2.56),
Guibe oua (2.51) and Yakassémé (2.48) and d y om Yakassémé (2.40) e lec ing senso y he e ogenei y. These esul s
alida e he eliabili y o he panel o u u e analyses on he senso y p o ile o I o ian peppe .
Keywo ds: Senso y Desc ip o s; Pe o mance; Peppe ; Disc imina ion; Repea abili y
1. In oduc ion
Spices and a oma ic he bs a e subs ances o plan o igin, playing a undamen al ole in he seasoning o ood. Among
hem, black peppe (Pipe Nig um L) known as he king o spices, is he mos popula and he hi d mos consumed ood
in he wo ld [1]. Used as much o i s as e quali ies as o i s medicinal i ues, i ep esen s a s a egic commodi y o
se e al p oducing coun ies. Howe e , A ica con ibu es only 6% o he wo ld p oduc ion o peppe wi h coun ies like
Madagasca , Ghana o E hiopia in he lead [2]. I o y Coas , al hough a p oduce o peppe , emains ma ginal in his
ma ke wi h an annual p oduc ion o less han 60 ons and a ma ke domina ed by Asian impo s. In a con ex o
inc eased compe i i eness, he alo iza ion o I o ian black peppe ine i ably equi es a be e knowledge o i s senso y
quali ies. Despi e he g owing in e es in he senso y analysis o ood p oduc s, e y ew s udies ha e been de o ed o
he senso y cha ac e iza ion o black peppe p oduced in I o y Coas . Fu he mo e, he pe o mance o he panels used
o hese analyses in e ms o disc imina ion capaci y, epea abili y o ag eemen be ween assesso s is a ely examined
in dep h. This lack o da a speci ic o he I o ian con ex e eals a signi ican gap in he scien i ic li e a u e. I is he e o e
necessa y o conduc s udies ha in eg a e no only he senso y analysis o I o ian peppe bu also a igo ous e alua ion
o he pe o mance o he panels in ol ed. I is wi h his in mind ha his s udy aims o e alua e he pe o mance o a
panel ained in he desc ip i e senso y analysis o black peppe om I o y Coas . Th ee main c i e ia we e aken in o
accoun : disc imina ion, epea abili y o assesso s and hei ag eemen . The objec i e is o assess he eliabili y o he
panel as a senso y analysis ool, wi h a iew o be e comme cial p omo ion o I o ian peppe on local and in e na ional
ma ke s.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
134
2. Ma e ial and me hods
2.1. Ma e ial
The plan ma e ial consis ed o esh peppe (Pipe nig um) (PF), d y peppe (PS). The g ound peppe s (PM) we e
ob ained by g inding he d y peppe . They we e collec ed in se en (7) p oducing locali ies o he coun y and sampled
in iplica e: Azaguié, Ma é é, Guibé oua, Niablé, Yakassémé, Lopou, Assouba.
Figu e 1 F esh peppe s in bunches and des emmed d ied peppe s
2.2. Me hods
2.2.1. Selec ion o sampling si es
A su ey p e iously conduc ed by FIRCA [3] among peppe p oduce s in Cô e d'I oi e iden i ied hi y-eigh (38)
peppe plan a ions in p oduc ion. Taking in o accoun he geog aphical loca ion and he dis ibu ion o soils in Cô e
d'I oi e, hese plan a ions we e g ouped in o se en (7) di e en locali ies a o emen ioned.
2.2.2. Sampling
Samples o esh and d ied peppe s we e collec ed om p oduce s in he se en (7) locali ies o I o y Coas . In each
locali y, (3) h ee samples o 1.5 kg o esh peppe and (3) h ee samples o 1.5 kg o d ied peppe we e collec ed. A e
collec ion, he esh peppe samples we e packed in coole s.10 kg con aining d y ice. The samples we e anspo ed
di ec ly o he Nu i ion and Food Technology Labo a o y o UMRI SAPT o he Houphouë Boigny Na ional Poly echnic
Ins i u e (INP-HB). Knowing ha a sample is made up o 1.5 kilog ams, a o al o wen y-one (21) samples o esh
peppe s and wen y-one (21) samples o d ied peppe s we e he subjec o his s udy.
2.2.3. Selec ion o as e s
The selec ion o subjec s was ca ied ou in acco dance wi h he ISO 8586-1 s anda d [4]. A ques ionnai e was ca ied
ou acco ding o he me hod o [5] and consis ed o collec ing a ce ain amoun o in o ma ion om people (abou a
hund ed) made up o s uden s om he Poly echnic Doc o al School (EDP) and he School o Ag onomy (ESA) as well
as om he s a o he ESA o he INP-HB. In his ques ionnai e, i was necessa y o speci y he p e e ences ega ding
as es, la o s, ex u es, aspec s and colo s o ood. Also, hese di e en people in e iewed had o gi e he cons ain s
o which hey we e subjec ed in e ms o ood o alle gies ha hey may ha e and hei le el o in e es in he p ojec .
Also, hese esponden s had o indica e hei a ailabili y in e ms o days and imes when hey could ca y ou a as e
es . Ques ionnai es we e dis ibu ed o 100 indi iduals and 78 people we e able o p o ide eedback, i.e. 78% o
esponden s due o 56 men (71.79%) and 22 women (28.20%). Then, aking in o accoun he eligibili y condi ions, i.e.
ood p e e ences, alle gies, a ailabili y and in e es in he p ojec bu especially any p e ious pa icipa ion o he
indi idual in a leas one panel, 12 people we e selec ed.
2.2.4. Panel aining
This aining was ca ied ou acco ding o he me hod o [5] and he de ini ions desc ibed by [6]. I ook place om 02-
13-2021 o 02-27-2021 and was ca ied ou in wo s ages. The i s heo e ical aining was ca ied ou on he basis o
a physical documen con aining in o ma ion on he de ini ions o senso y analysis, he impo ance o senso y analysis
in he ood indus y, neu ophysiological aspec s, he cons i u ion o a senso y g oup, he layou o a senso y e alua ion
labo a o y and he di e en ca ego ies o es in senso y analysis dis ibu ed o he 12 people. The second pa o his
heo e ical aining was dedica ed o he gene al de ini ion o desc ip o s (complex and simple) and o gene a e
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
135
oge he (selec ed as e s and acili a o ) a p obable lis o complex desc ip o s and simple desc ip o s speci ic o
peppe . The lis o complex desc ip o s e ained has been: colo , ex u e, a oma and as e. The simple desc ip o s
assigned o each complex desc ip o ha e been de ined as ollows: Tex u e: smoo h, ough, c unchy, lou y and ound;
Colo : g een, black; A oma: he baceous, mush oom, spicy, hazelnu , woody and min ; Tas e: bi e , sal y, pungen ,
e eshing, acidic, umami, wa m. Thus, he es o he aining was ca ied ou using his es ablished lis o complex and
simple desc ip o s. The wel e (12) people who ag eed o pa icipa e in he as e es s we e subjec ed o an examina ion
o de e mine whe he hey had “no mal” senso y acui y. This phase was ca ied ou by asking hem o iden i y basic
la o s, odo s as well as common ex u es, aspec s and colo s. A sample o he di e en common p oduc s lis ed
acco ding o he me hod o [7] wi h a h ee-digi code was p esen ed o each membe o he panel. In o al, 24 common
p oduc s in he o m o a sample we e p esen ed o each membe o he panel. The esul s ob ained a his s age
indica ed ha mo e han 50% o he as e s had no mal senso y acui y, which would mean ha hese as e s can mo e
on o he s age o es ing hei abili y o dis inguish be ween di e en le els (di e en concen a ions) o a senso y
cha ac e is ic.
2.2.5. P epa a ion o samples o senso y analysis
The d y peppe samples we e g ound in o powde in a labo a o y d y g inde o ob ain he g ound peppe (PM)
samples. The d y and g ound peppe samples we e s o ed in dyed bo les w apped on he ou side wi h aluminum oil
and hen placed in a cupboa d away om ligh . As o he esh samples, hey we e packaged in ood-g ade plas ic bags
and hen s o ed a a empe a u e o 4°C. Abou 30 g [8] o he di e en o ms o peppe we e weighed in h ee (3)
sepa a e glasses and hen co e ed wi h plas ic ilm o p e en he e apo a ion o some essen ial cha ac e is ics o he
peppe . The samples we e made in he p epa a ion oom and hen placed in he as ing oom.
2.2.6. Senso y desc ip i e analysis p ocedu e
The senso y p o iles o peppe s we e de eloped by he panel using he quan i a i e desc ip i e analysis me hod
acco ding o he s anda d [9]. A g adua ed in e al scale om 0 o 9 was used. Consensus among he panelis s was used
o he selec ion and de ini ion o he senso y ocabula y. In ou case, he e we e h ee (3) sessions in which he senso y
a ibu es o peppe samples we e e alua ed by he wel e (12) panelis s. Du ing he sessions, each panelis e alua ed
he senso y a ibu es in a p og essi e o de (a oma, as e, ex u e, and colo ). The panelis s we e asked o ead he
de ini ion o each a ibu e, e alua e he peppe samples acco ding o he e e ences, and indica e he pe cei ed
in ensi y o he a ibu e on he scale p o ided.
2.2.7. Analysis o panel pe o mance
The panel's pe o mance was assessed using h ee c i e ia:
• Disc imina ion: judges' abili y o di e en ia e be ween samples
• Repea abili y: s abili y o he same judge's esponses o e se e al sessions
• In e -judge ag eemen : consis ency o assessmen s be ween panelis s
2.3. S a is ical analysis
The da a ob ained we e analyzed wi h XLSTAT e sion 21. The s a is ical es s applied a e: F iedman es
(disc imina ion and epea abili y) wi h p- alue o 5% and PCA (ag eemen ).
3. Resul s and discussion
3.1. Panel Disc imina ion
The esul s o he F iedman es (Table 1) highligh ha all he desc ip o s signi ican ly disc imina e (p<0.05) he
samples. The desc ip o s Smoo h (683.35), Rough (674.78), C unchy (631.22), Flou y (585.54) and Round (554.84) a e
he mos disc imina ing wi h a high a iabili y in he ex u e o he peppe s udied. The desc ip o s Acid (41.8) and
Umami (66.44) a e disc imina ing bu weakly pe cei ed by he panel. Ou esul s a e simila o hose o [10] who ound
signi ican di e ences be ween he a ie ies o Vie namese peppe acco ding o spiciness, men hol and woodiness.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
136
Table 1 Resul s o he F iedman es (panel disc imina ion)
3.2. Panel epea abili y
Figu e 2 Repea abili y o he panel by desc ip o (F iedman es )
Figu e 2 shows ha he e is poo epea abili y (p<0.05) o he panel o he desc ip o s Hazelnu , Bi e , Flou y and
G een. This can be explained by a di icul y in dis inguishing he no es o senso y a igue o he panelis s acco ding o
[11]. On he o he hand, he panel showed good epea abili y o o he desc ip o s such as Mush oom, He baceous,
Spicy. Ou esul s a e consis en wi h hose o [12] on complex a omas whe e he sugges s ha desc ip o s s ongly
associa ed wi h senso y e e ences (min , spicy) a e mo e epea able while desc ip o s wi h sub le pe cep ions
(hazelnu ) ha e g ea e a iabili y.
Desc ip o s
S a is ical
Deg ees o
eedom
p- alue
In e p e a ion
He baceous
411.8
20
7.28E-75
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Mush oom
507.04
20
9.78E-95
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Hazelnu
474.17
20
7.34E-88
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Spicy
481.49
20
2.17E-89
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Min
410.52
20
1.34E-74
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Woody
370.47
20
2.66E-66
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Bi e
139.99
20
5.08E-20
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Sal y
102.69
20
4.14E-13
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Punge
434.61
20
1.31E-79
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Re eshing
372.13
20
1.21E-66
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Acidic
41.8
20
2.94E-03
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Umami
66.44
20
6.88E-07
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Wa m
488.43
20
7.67E-91
Signi ican (p<0.05)
C unchy
631.22
20
7.53e-12
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Mealy
585.54
20
3.20E-111
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Smoo h
683.35
20
7.34E-132
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Round
554.84
20
9.16E-105
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Rough
674.78
20
4.76E-130
Signi ican (p<0.05)
G een
536.75
20
5.74E-101
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Black
356.65
20
1.90E-63
Signi ican (p<0.05)
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
137
3.3. Panel Ag eemen
P incipal axes analysis shows ha 63.56% o he o al a iance is explained by he i s wo axes, indica ing good o e all
consis ency. Figu e 3 shows ha subjec s A, L, J, H, F, and D disag ee wi h he es o he panel. This disag eemen can
be explained by a di e en pe cep ion o ce ain senso y desc ip o s. [13] con i ms his by poin ing ou ha e alua ions
di e ge by ce ain judges due o di e en sensi i i y o s imuli o a lack o aining.
Figu e 3 Con ibu ion o he panelis s o he consensus
3.3. Va iabili y o judges by desc ip o
Figu e 4 Va iabili y o judges by desc ip o (s anda d de ia ion)
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
138
Figu e 4 shows he a iabili y o he judges by each desc ip o . Some a ibu es show s ong he e ogenei y, no ably
He baceous, Mush oom, Hazelnu and Spicy due o he de ia ions- ela i ely uns able ypes (some imes high, some imes
low). O he a ibu es such as C unchy, Flou y, Smoo h, Round and Rough eco d ela i ely high a iabili ies, ce ainly
e lec ing an inabili y o he judges o di e en ia e he in ensi y o hese desc ip o s. A be e ag eemen be ween judges
is obse ed o he desc ip o s Acid, Sal y, Woody, Bi e and Umami wi h ela i ely lowe a iabili y. Acco ding o [14]
his is a di icul e alua ion o mul isenso y desc ip o s o complex desc ip o s, hence a p esen a ion o g ea e in e -
judge a iabili y.
3.4. Va iabili y o a ings by p oduc
Figu es 5, 6 and 7 p esen he a iabili y o a ings by p oduc . Yakassémé M (2.68), Ma é é F (2.56), Guibe oua F
(2.51), Yakassémé F (2.48) and Yakassémé S (2.40) a e he p oduc s p esen ing he mos di e gences be ween judges.
This is explained by a g ea he e ogenei y o g ains om he egions, mo e ad anced ex ac ion o ola ile a omas
making he e alua ion mo e subjec i e o di icul y o e alua ion by he panel. These esul s con i ming he impo ance
o ex ensi e judge aining and calib a ion es s o educe disc epancies.
Figu e 5 Va iabili y o no es by p oduc Fees (s anda d de ia ion)
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
139
Figu e 6 Va iabili y o no es by D y p oduc (s anda d de ia ion)
Figu e 7 Va iabili y o no es by G ound p oduc (s anda d de ia ion)
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 133-140
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4. Conclusion
The objec i e o his s udy was o e alua e he pe o mance o a panel in he senso y cha ac e iza ion o peppe om
Cô e d'I oi e. Analysis o he panel's pe o mance demons a ed i s abili y o e ec i ely disc imina e peppe samples,
i s s abili y in epea ing judgmen s, and sa is ac o y o e all ag eemen be ween panelis s. These esul s con i m ha
he panel is su icien ly ained and eliable o conduc igo ous desc ip i e analyses on peppe om I o y Coas . This
me hodological alida ion is an essen ial s ep in he es ablishmen o a quali y senso y e alua ion sys em, hus
con ibu ing o he p omo ion o local peppe . By s eng hening he c edibili y o he senso y da a p oduced, his wo k
suppo s e o s o s uc u e he peppe indus y and pa es he way o conc e e applica ions in e ms o a ie al
selec ion, labeling o o igins, and ma ke posi ioning.
Compliance wi h e hical s anda ds
Acknowledgmen s
This s udy was ca ied ou wi h he inancial suppo o he In e p o essional Fund o Ag icul u al Resea ch and Ad ice
(FIRCA) and he echnical suppo o he Depa men o T aining and Resea ch in Chemical and Ag i-Food Enginee ing
(DFR GCAA) o he Félix Houphouë Boigny Na ional Poly echnic Ins i u e (INPHB).
Disclosu e o con lic o in e es
The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es ega ding he publica ion o his a icle.
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