What does a trained Sensory Panel do?
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
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
Temporal Evaluations
Repeated QDA assessments at time intervals
Time Intensity (TI)
Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS)
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?