Abstract
Discrimination of soy sauce samples consist of different 8 brands on the basis of principal components extracted from GC profiles of aroma concentrates was performed by stepwise discriminant analysis. Considering the results from sensory evaluation, classification of samples into 8, 3, and 2 groups was examined. Statistically significant difference was found among the 8 brands on the basis of principal components. The three groups consist of good, common, and inferior samples also classified correctly. Completely correct two way discrimination, good and bad, was accomplished in the same manner. These clear classifications suggested that evaluation and discrimination in sensory tests were performed by comparing the profiles of aroma substances.