## 1 Introduction  
Celery is an aromatic vegetable that is grown and consumed globally in a range of salads, with sediments; in cooking, where it can be boiled, fried, roasted as well as forming the base of many soups, stocks, and sauces [1, 2, 3]. Within cuisines, celery is known to form part of the holy trinity or sofrittto [3], starring alongside carrots and onions or onions and bell peppers depending on the cuisine. Celery owes its culinary diversity to the distinct aroma and flavour profile, possessing a range of compound groups including terpenes (monoterpens and sesquiterpen), alcohols, aldehydes and phthalalics contributing to the overall flavour quality of celery [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The phthalalic compounds have been established as the characteristic odorants of celery, with odour descriptors such as 'celery', 'cooked celery' and 'herbal'. Without the presence of these compounds, celery aroma would not be so distinctive [7, 9]. Being such a commonly grown and consumed vegetable, research investigating the perception of celery flavour is surprisingly sparse, with only a few sources examining the sensory properties of celery [9, 10, 11, 12, 13]. Furthermore, there has been no research conducted that explores the sensory characteristics of celery combined with consumers' perceptions and preferences. Previous research has identified that external characteristics such as product appearance are primary influencers of initial consumer purchase, whilst internal characteristics that follow consumption (aroma, taste, flavour, texture) influence acceptability and repurchase [14; 15; 16]. Without completing sensory and consumer evaluation, the acceptability of celery and the sensory characteristics that consumers find desirable within celery remain unknown and crop breeding programmes are missing key information that should direct their selection processes. The authors have previously carried out several experiments, where they identified the aroma profile of various celery genotypes and investigated how factors such as genotype, maturity, geographical location, climate, and agronomy influence the aroma profile and the sensory characteristics using a trained panel [9; 12; 13]. Combining data from instrumental and sensory analysis with multi-site and multi-year investigations that use the same eight genotypes has led to the discovery of three genotypes that consistently performed regardless of influencing environmental or developmental factors; genotypes 12, 22 and 25. Genotype 12 was consistently high in the abundance of volatile compounds with a high percentage of phthalides comprising the aroma profile of celery with a strong, typical celery odour. The trained panel strongly associated this genotype with a grass odour and herbal flavour, including fennel, parsley, and coriander [9; 12; 13]. On the other hand, genotype 25 exhibited low abundance of phthalides and a high abundance of aldehydes, with the trained panel describing this genotype as having a cucumber flavour. Genotype 22 had similar aroma profile to genotype 12 but with lower abundance and was scored lower by the trained panel for aroma and flavour attributes such as fresh parsley, coriander, and fennel. In terms of mouthfeel, genotype 22 was consistently scored high for a moist and crunchy petiole and low for stringy mouthfeel, opposing genotype 12. Genotype 12 was ribbed, stringy and bitter, genotypes 22 and 25 remained crunchy, moist with minimal stringiness [12; 13]. Providing celery growers and breeders with the information gathered from this investigation will aid in the development of new celery hybrids that have been tailor-made according to consumer preference. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensory characteristics of celery parental genotypes (12, 22 and 25) and their hybrids (12x22, 25x12 and 22x12) using a trained sensory panel and to assess the aroma profile of the same samples using solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME GC-MS) to identify differences and similarities within the aroma profile.