Introduction. The aim of this work was to develop a list of
suitable sensory attributes and to perform sensory quality assessment of an unprocessed
peach juice and a peach juice clarified by enzymatic treatment followed by membrane
processes, using the attributes chosen by the trained panel. Materials and
methods. A panel of assessors was selected and trained following the quantitative
descriptive analysis methodology. A descriptive terminology with eight descriptors was
successfully developed. Results and discussion. The sensory analysis showed
that the juices were effectively clarified. Although the clarification by microfiltration
in a bench-scale unit did not change juice taste attributes, the characteristic color and
aroma of peach juice were also removed. The scale-up of the membrane clarification process
affected all the sensory characteristics of the clarified juice, even taste. The
unpleasant cooked fruit taste and aroma could be reduced by juice clarification by
enzymatic and membrane processes. The kind of membrane, membrane geometry and
transmembrane pressure used in the membrane clarification did not significantly affect the
juice sensory characteristics.