Authentic flavour - a case study with Teltow Turnips

Teltow Turnips have a well documented history regarding the cultivation in the Teltow area and their unique quality - mostly reported in terms of culinary appreciation. The flavour authenticity could not be reproduced from verbal and depicted sources. Therefore a sensory authenticity test with former or private producers and professional users from gastronomy was conducted. A catalogue of 34 attributes was developed and tested with unknown material. Nine flavour attributes proved to be applicable for highly significant separation of samples. Cluster analysis showed the close sensory relationship of Teltow Turnip selections compared to similar turnips sold on the marked as Teltow Turnips, too. Instrumental analysis of flavour-relevant compounds resulted in higher values of total glucosinolates (> 100 mg / 100 g FM), sucrose (>3.0 g / 10 g) and dry matter(> 14 %) for those turnips considered as original.