A difference from reference test, using fresh flavored sauces as
reference, was also performed comparing the fresh and sterilized
sauces, the results of which are shown in Table 4. For all sauces, the
sterilized product had a significantly larger difference from the
reference than the fresh sauce as expected. This means that the
sterilized sauce, for each flavor system used, was significantly
different in smell and taste with respect to the fresh sauce containing
the same flavor. However, no significant difference emerged
among the three different flavor systems. This same consideration
holds for the presence of off-notes (results not shown), which
resulted, for all flavor systems, significantly higher in the sterilized
sauce than in the fresh sauce, but no significant differences
emerged between the three flavor systems