1. SENSORY EVALUATION OF FOODS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
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2. Introduction
The sensory properties of foods are related to three major attributes:
Appearance - colour, size, shape;
Flavour - odour, taste; and
Texture - mouth feel, viscosity and hearing.
The consumer integrates all of those sensory inputs— appearance, aroma, flavor, hand-feel, mouth-feel and chewing sounds—into a final judgment of the acceptability of that fruit or vegetable.
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3. Sensory Evaluation
Definition
Sensory Analysis is a scientific discipline used to evoke, measure, analyze and interpret reactions to those characteristics of foods as they are perceived by the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.
It means more than just food tasting. Sensory analysis is a recognised science.
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4. Applications of Sensory Evaluation
It can be used to:
evaluate a range of existing food products
analyse a test sample for improvement
estimate consumer response to a product
check that a final product meets its original specifications
evaluate differences in similar products
analyse specific attributes e.g. crunchiness of carrots
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5. Role of senses Appearance Color, gloss, translucency Size & shape
Surface characteristics
Interior appearance
Clarity
Discoloration
Mode of presentation
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6. Role of senses Mode of presentation Factors to be considered are:
• Product description - name, price, ingredient, etc;
• Packaging - shape, design, colour;
• Contrast - phenomena of adjacent colours; and
• Illumination - affects apparent product colour.
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7. Role of senses Odor/ Aroma/ Fragrance
Odor of a product is detected when food volatiles enter the nasal passage and are perceived by the olfactory system
Volatility – related to the temperature of the food and the nature of the compounds
Aroma – perceptions caused by volatile substances released from a product in the mouth (lemon, mint, buttery)
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8. Role of senses
Flavour
Flavor, is the combined impression perceived via the chemical senses from a product in the mouth, i.e., it does not include appearance and texture.
It includes
aromatics
taste and
chemical feeling factors – compounds that stimulate nerve ends in the soft membranes of the mouth and nasal cavity (spicy hot, cool, metallic).
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9. Role of senses Texture/mouthfeel
Sensory manifestation of the structure or inner make up of a food product (solids or semi-solids)
Noise
Sounds produced by a food during mastication (chewing) or physical handling.
Includes
pitch – frequency of sound
loudness – intensity of the sound
persistence – endurance of sound over time
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10. Role of senses
In the process of perception, most or all of the attributes overlap, i.e., we receive a jumble of near-simultaneous sensory impressions, and without training we will not be able to provide an independent evaluation of each
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11. Types of Sensory Tests Sensory tests are of three types:
Descriptive testing – using descriptive words in a sensory evaluation to characterize food samples.
Affective testing – panelists are used to determine the acceptability or preference between products
Difference testing – panelists are used to determine whether detectable differences exist between products.
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12. Sensory Panels
Sensory Evaluation Panels consists of groups of people who evaluate food samples. There are 3 main groups:
Trained panels: Judge the quality based on standards set by the food industry. May be 5 to 8 in number.
Laboratory Panels: Small groups that work at a company's lab. Help develop new products and determine how to change existing products. Usually in number.
Consumer Panels: Used to test foods outside the laboratory (grocery stores, malls, market research forms) using scientific terms to tell how much they like or dislike the product. May be in number.
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13. Let Us Sum Up
The consumer acceptance of fruits most often relies upon the inherent flavor and textural quality of the product.
Incorporating sensory evaluation will help in the selling a consumer friendly product with increased acceptance.
When done properly, sensory information can provide reliable and useful information about fruits and vegetables which no instrument can measure – their perceptual characteristics.
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