What does a trained Sensory Panel do?

man standing in front of group of men
man standing in front of group of men
woman holding microphone
woman holding microphone
people meeting in room
people meeting in room

The expert panel gives us an Objective profile which tells us on different attributes exactly what a product is

They use a sensory descriptors, definitions and references, and can articulate the perception of any product on different sensory attributes

Observe

Taste

Smell

Touch

Hear

The panel will Observe, Smell, Taste, Touch & Smell to describe the product in full details

Types of Sensory Evaluation

Discrimination Testing

(Difference/Similarity Testing)

Triangle test

Difference from control

Duo-trio

Tetrad test

person holding tube
person holding tube

Descriptive Sensory Analysis

(Sensory Profiling)

This involves extensive training of panellists, detailed vocabulary generation, training and precise rating of attributes (usually in duplicate or triplicate) e.g. QDA, Spectrum

man holding his head while sitting on chair near computer desk
man holding his head while sitting on chair near computer desk

Temporal Evaluations

Repeated QDA assessments at time intervals

Time Intensity (TI)

Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS)

man in white and gray pinstripe dress shirt wearing gold framed sunglasses
man in white and gray pinstripe dress shirt wearing gold framed sunglasses

Applications of Sensory Evaluation in Industry

  • Ageing : e.g. Shelf-life studies- how long can I leave my product on the shelf?

  • Benchmarking : e.g. How does my product compare to the competition?

  • Quality Control : e.g. On-going quality control. Detection of changes across batches/time

  • Development and Optimization : e.g. How can I change the taste of my product to better satisfy my customers?

  • Effect of manufacturing changes : e.g. If I change an ingredient/piece of machinery/switch suppliers, will it detrimentally affect my product?

At Spark Sensory we can help you setup / run / train your panel anywhere in India