Sensory Science 101 Part II: Sensory Evaluation Methods

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2007 Institute of Food Technologists

What is Sensory Evaluation?

A scientific discipline used to evoke, measure, analyze and interpret those responses to products that are perceived by the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing.
Stone, H and Sidel, JL. 1993. Sensory Evaluation Practices. 2nd ed. Academic Press: San Diego.

2007 Institute of Food Technologists

How is Sensory Evaluation Used?

In a food company, sensory scientists work closely with product developers to understand:
What consumers like and why
If consumers can tell a difference when they change a product (e.g.

substitute an ingredient)

In academia, sensory scientists:

Try to understand how our senses work and how our senses respond

to stimuli (both from food and chemicals) Improve testing methodology

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Why Is Sensory Evaluation Used?

It reduces uncertainty and risks in decision making It ensures a cost-efficient delivery of new products with high consumer acceptability Human observers are good measuring instruments
People can sometimes detect odorants at levels lower than what can

be detected by an instrument Instruments can not measure liking (although they can be used to determine what characteristics of a food correlate with liking - e.g. with many beverages up to a point - as sweetness increases so does liking)

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Principles of Good Practice

Facilities should be well designed
White or off-white color Lighting should be controlled There should be good ventilation

Samples should be prepared properly

Temperature should be controlled and the same for all samples Volume served should be equal for all samples Samples should be served at equivalent shelf-life or time since cooking/preparation

Experimental Design Considerations

Samples should be labeled with random 3-digit codes to avoid bias Samples should be served in random or counterbalanced order Counterbalanced order means that if 2 samples are served, half of the subjects receive one sample first and the other half receive the other sample first Counterbalancing takes into account order effects

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Sensory Evaluation Methods

Goal is to match the right test with the right question
Question Are products different? If products are different, how are they different? Method Discrimination Tests Descriptive Analysis

What is the Affective/Hedonic Tests acceptability of a product? Is one product preferred over another?
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Discrimination Tests
Basic Question: Are two products different from one another? Basic Setup
25-50 panelists Screened for acuity (keenness or sharpness of perception, i.e. can they smell and taste well?) Given triangle, duo-trio or paired comparison tests Analysis is done using tables which compare results to chance this analysis ensures that the difference was real and not because people chose the correct sample by luck/chance

Advantage
Quick and simple

Limitations
Limited results only yes they are different or no they are not

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Discrimination Tests
Question: Are two products different from one another? Triangle Test: Choose the sample that is most different B A A 342 608 194

Duo-trio Test: Choose the sample that matches the reference Reference (B) A 821 B 976

437

Paired Comparison Test: Which sample is sweeter? B 035

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A 759
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Descriptive Tests
Basic Question: How do products differ in all sensory attributes? Basic Setup
8-12 panelists
Screened for acuity Trained Asked to rate intensity for all sensory attributes

Analysis is done using a t-test to determine if means are statistically different

Advantages
Detailed quantitative information

Limitations
Time consuming

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Descriptive Tests
Most food companies have a panel that is trained on each of their products

To train a panel takes several weeks to months

There are several different methods of training
Quantitative Descriptive Analysis Sensory Spectrum Flavor Profile

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Sample Ballot
305

Descriptive Tests
What does trained mean? It means that the panelists are trained to evaluate products similar to how any instrument would give a reading In essence, the panelists are calibrated so that they have an understanding of each attribute and the range of intensity For example, a trained panel would be a given a sample of grape juice and would be able to rate the level of turbidity, color, viscosity, etc..

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Descriptive Tests
Mean attribute ratings are calculated, statistics is used to determine if the means are significantly different The data can be plotted onto graphs such as the spider plot to easily compare samples In this example three brands of grape juice were compared:
Which is sweeter? Which has more cooked flavor?

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Consumer Acceptance Tests

Basic Question: Are the products liked? Basic Setup
75-150 consumers per test Screened for product use (Do they buy the product? And how often?) Asked degree of liking (how much do they like it) and/or preference

questions

Advantages
Provides essential information Do they like it or not?

Disadvantages
May be difficult to get a representative sample of consumers
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Consumer Acceptance Tests

Acceptance Tests
Used to measure how much people like a product There are several types of scales that can be used Sample Ballot Taste each product in the order listed. Circle how much you like the product.
The Smiley Scale Quartermaster Corp. 9-point hedonic (liking) scale (Used with kids) (Most common)
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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LIKE EXTREMELY LIKE VERY MUCH LIKE MODERATELY LIKE SLIGHTLY NEITHTER LIKE NOR DISLIKE DISLIKE SLIGHTLY DISLIKE MODERATELY DISLIKE VERY MUCH DISLIKE EXTREMELY
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Consumer Acceptance Tests

Preference Tests
The Pepsi Challenge type of test that is widely used in marketing

research Used to determine which product is preferred, although people have the option to choose no preference
Sample Ballot Taste each product in the order that they are listed. Circle the number of the product that you prefer, all things considered. 470 193 no preference

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Careers in Sensory Evaluation

Job Titles:
Sensory Scientist Sensory Analyst Sensory Technician

Job Responsibilities:
Experimental design Sample Preparation Perform, analyze, and report

Employers:
Food processors Cosmetic and fragrance

experimental results Troubleshooting

Sensory Scientist at Work!

manufacturers Ingredient manufacturers/suppliers Academia (Higher Education) Consumer and marketing research firms Self-employed/Consultant
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Want to learn more?

Visit:
http://www.ift.org

http://school.discovery.com/foodscience/

Find a Food Scientist:

A database of IFT members who are willing to

provide more information about the field of food science to you

http://members.ift.org/IFT/Education/TeacherResources/findafoodscientist.htm

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Questions?

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Activity
Triangle Sensory Test with Oreo Cookies

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References
Lawless, HT and Heymann, H. 1998. Sensory Evaluation of Food: Principles and Practices. New York: Chapman & Hall.

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