## 3 Results
### Sensory Analysis
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & & **Untreated** & **Oyster** & **Oyster LH** & **Oyster TH** \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{_Physical characteristics_} \\ \multicolumn{4}{c}{Shade} & Whitish & 3 (8.6) & 1 (2.9) & 2 (5.7) \\  & Greenish & 12 (34.3) & 12 (34.3) & 9(25.7) \\  & Greyish & 20 (57.1) & 21 (60.0) & 24 (68.6) \\ Opacity & Clear & 16 (45.7) & 16 (45.7) & 15 (42.9) \\  & Opalescent & 16 (45.7) & 12 (34.3) & 13 (37.1) \\  & Cloudy & - & 3 (8.6) & 3 (8.6) \\ Texture & Mushy & 1 (2.9) & 2 (5.7) & 2 (5.7) \\  & Tender & 26 (74.3) & 20 (57.1) & 18 (51.4) \\  & Firm & 8 (22.9) & 11 (31.4) & 14 (40.0) \\ \multicolumn{4}{c}{_Sensory characteristics_} \\ Flavour (yes/no) & Marine & 33 (94.3) * & 28 (80.0) & 26 (80.0) * \\  & Citrus & 4 (11.4) & 3 (8.6) & 3 (8.6) \\  & Garlic & 5 (14.3) & 5 (14.3) & 3 (8.6) \\  & Rosemary & 2 (5.71) & 5 (14.3) & 3 (8.6) \\  & Thyme & 3 (8.6) & 6 (17.1) & 5 (14.3) \\ Taste (yes/no) & Marine & 34 (97.1) & 33 (94.3) & 33 (94.3) \\  & Seaweed & 28 (80.0) & 23 (65.7) & 25 (71.4) \\  & Fruity & 1 (2.9) & 0 & 2 (5.71) \\  & Metallic & 19 (54.3) & 19 (54.3) & 13 (37.1) \\  & Thyme & 4 (11.4) & 4 (11.4) & 7 (20.0) \\  & Spinach & 7 (20.0) & 8 (22.9) & 7 (20.0) \\  & Citrus & 5 (14.3) & 7 (20.0) & 2 (5.71) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
* Percentages indicated in the same row with an asterisk are statistically different ([PERSON]’s exact test, \(p\) \(<\) 0.05).  
\end{table} 
Table 3: Number (and percentages) of participants who perceived the reported sensory characteristics in the untreated oysters and oysters treated with _C. limon_ hydralote (LH) and with _T. serpyllum_ hydralote (TH). Figure 3: Perception of saltiness, sweetness, sourness, and bitterness levels in untreated oysters and oysters treated with _C. limon_ hydralote (LH) and with _T. serpyllum_ hydralote (TH). Note: The response level for the bitter taste category in untreated oysters is below 100% due to a missing response in one of the assessed oyster specimens. In general, both treated and untreated oysters received positive evaluations from the tasters (Figure 4). With regard to the untreated oysters, some negative scores were mainly related to taste (considered unpleasant by 14.3% of the participants), texture, and smell (8.6% reported negative scores). Instead, a higher variability in scoring was found among the treated samples, where responses tended to be more neutral compared to those obtained for the untreated group. This result is particularly evident in flavour, where the percentage of neutral responses increased from 25.7% in the untreated group to 34.3% for oysters treated with _T. serpyllum_ hydrolate and 40.0% for oysters treated with _C. limon_ hydrolate. Moreover, the number of positive scores seemed to rise for both oysters treated with _C. limon_ and _T. serpyllum_ hydrolates, while the number of negative scores seemed to follow a downward trend. For example, this phenomenon was observed for taste (oysters treated with _C. limon_ hydrolate: 77.1%, and _T. serpyllum_ hydrolates: 82.9, vs. untreated: 74.3%) and texture characteristics (82.9% and 74.3% vs. 74.3%). However, these variations were statistically unsignificant (Kruskal-Wallis rank test, \(p\) < 0.05), indicating that the product characteristics in the treated and untreated groups can be considered comparable.