# Volatile, Microbial, and Sensory Profiles and Consumer Acceptance of Coffee Cascara Kombuchas
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Sensory Tests  
#### 3.4.1 Rate All That Apply (RATA)  
The RATA test was applied to characterize the sensory attributes of the kombuchas samples and their intensities and relate them to the volatile composition presented in Section 3.3. A total of 113 consumers participated in the sensory assessment. The assessors' characteristics are presented in Table 4. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Gender**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Age**} \\ \hline \hline Male & Female & 18–24 & 25–34 & 34–44 & 45–59 \\ \hline
39\% & 61\% & 47\% & 38\% & 6\% & 8\% \\ \hline \multicolumn{2}{c}{Level of Education} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{Lengplete} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{Master’s ordoctoral degree} \\ \hline Basic education & Undergraduate & \multicolumn{4}{c}{Lengplete} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{Master’s ordoctoral degree} \\ \hline
0\% & 12\% & 40\% & 10\% & 38\% \\ \multicolumn{2}{c}{Family Income (MW: Minimum Wages)} & & & \\ \hline
1 MW & 2–3 MW & 4–5 MW & \(>\)5 MW & \\ \hline
18\% & 39\% & 9\% & 7\% \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 4: RATA assessors’ characteristics. Considering that kombucha is a fermented beverage, chemical changes generate different sensory attributes and intensities. Therefore, the RATA test was performed to identify these changes during the production of coffee cascara kombuchas. The intensity means for aroma, taste, flavor, mouthfeel, and appearance attributed to CCB Ks and CCN Ks by Rio de Janeiro consumers are presented in Figures 4 and 5. Significant differences (\(p=0.0001\)) in beverages made with the same raw material were observed mainly between 3d and 9d. According to [PERSON] and [PERSON] [21] and [PERSON] et al. [72], the main sensory characteristics of kombucha, such as sweet, sour, and vinegary odor and flavor, are developed via acetic acid bacteria activity and, cider odor and flavor and carbonation (from fermentation in general) via yeast activity. In addition to the important attributes that characterized CC K d3, attributes with significant intensity were observed by the assessors in CC K d9. They were citric, honey, fermented, and herbal for aroma; acid/sour and sweet for taste; alcoholic, apple vinegar, and herbal for flavor; slightly astingent and refreshing for mouthfeel; and opaque/matte and brown for appearance. A slight bitterness could be perceived in all kombuchas, which is attributed to non-volatile compounds such as caffeine and polyphenols in the raw materials [72]. No difference was perceived in bitterness intensity along the fermentation period. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Gender**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Age**} \\ \hline Know Kombucha & & Drink Kombucha & \\ \hline Yes & No & Yes & No \\ \hline
68\% & 32\% & 9\% & 81\% & \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{Sparkling Beverage/Soft Drink Consumption} \\ \hline Sparkling water & Apple juice & Soda & Tonic water & Sparkling wine & Cider \\ \hline
50\% & 10\% & 73\% & 32\% & 42\% & 15\% \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 4: _Cont._  
Figure 4: Intensity means for odor (**A**), taste (**B**), flavor (**C**), mouthfeel, and appearance (**D**) for CCB K d3, d6, and d9. Note: O: odor, T: taste; F: flavor; M: mouthfeel; A: appearance; CCB: Brazil coffee cascara. Considering the two types of cascara, in general, CCB Ks obtained higher intensity means for flowery, citric, and fermented for odor; acid/sour for taste; acetic/vinegar, citric, apple vinegar, and hibiscus for flavor; and fizzy and astringent for mouthfeeI. In CCB K d3, the attributes with higher intensities were berries, woody, and herbal for odor; sweet for taste; and herbal for flavor. On day 6, CCB K developed more sensory attributes, with high intensities of flowery, yellow fruit, and raisin/prune for aroma; acid/sour and bitter for taste; and acetic/vinegar, rip fruit, and fruit syrup for flavor; and astringency appeared for mouthfeeI. CCN Ks were described as fermented, woody, and rose wine for odor; acid/sour and bitter for taste; and alcoholic and citric for flavor.