Sensory science is a discipline within food science that comprises a set of techniques used for the accurate measurement of human responses to foods.
There are no machines as sophisticated as the human brain that can give you diverse quality grading of a product better than a human. Therefore, sensory science uses humans as subjects to test products. There are some latest developments in measuring taste and smell using electronic tongues and noses, however they can only focus on one sensory aspect at a time whereas the human brain may processes many sensory aspects of products at once in order to elicit a response.
Consumers select food products based on factors like health and safety, cost, preference and sensory information like appearance, texture, taste, and smell. Since consumers are ever changing and demanding more and more from their products every day, sensory science plays an important role of measuring consumer reactions to products. Food producers consider these factors in order to produce the right products for consumers to ensure commercial success of their foods and beverages. The importance of sensory science in the food industry is based on the relevance of consumer perceptions to the acceptance and liking of food. In food companies, sensory food science can be of great value to set and achieve strategic research and financial goals.
Sensory science is a useful tool in shelf life studies, quality control, product development and optimization, flavor profiling, and determining the factors driving consumer preferences. It is used to assess the quality of foods and beverages beyond safety and regulatory requirements. Sensory and consumer information is important to establish key quality criteria of products that are important to consumers.. It can be used to make informed decisions around the storage and packaging of raw materials, ingredients and additives. There are many other diverse applications for the data obtained from sensory testing outside food. Did you know you can use humans to test animal feed to improve product quality? Check out our next blog on the role of sensory testing in non-food product categories.
Insights from sensory evaluation of food is useful to industry players because they can use the information to:
- Meet consumer demands and expectations
- Improve already existing products or make new products that may improve revenue and ensure market success
- Troubleshoot problems associated with either food products or processes involved in making the food product
- Gain competitive edge over other brands in the same market
Sensory analysis of food is a very useful tool in the production of quality and affordable foods hence food industries are increasingly using it in various aspects of their production chain to gain a competitive market edge. Contact us to learn how we can help you improve your product quality with a relevant sensory test.