The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tuber is a root vegetable with excellent gastronomic
qualities, however the culinary properties are underexploited. Carbohydrate content, instrumental
texture analysis and sensory profiling were used to study the effects of culinary preparation in three
different varieties of Jerusalem artichoke tubers at two different harvest times. Texture attributes and
sweetness were the best sensory attributes to discriminate between varieties, although differences in
texture and taste were somewhat evened out during boiling and baking. Instrumentally measured
hardness and modulus declined in the order raw, boiled and baked. A positive correlation was determined
between sensory crispness and instrumental hardness (Pearson r ¼ 0.57, P ¼ 0.013) of boiled
tubers, but no other correlations were found between sensory attributes and instrumental texture
measurements. The inulin content was not correlated to sweetness in any culinary preparation, but total
sugars and sweetness were positively correlated in raw tubers. The mass loss during baking was higher
in tubers harvested in spring than in autumn, indicating that the water binding capacity and cell
membrane integrity of tubers declined during overwintering.