In a previous food sensory blog, we explored the physiology of taste and the five basic senses—touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. We introduced chemesthesis, which involves sensations perceived through the trigeminal nerve, such as astringency, spiciness, and cooling effects. We also highlighted the crucial role of taste and smell, the sense of smell, both through direct and retronasal olfaction, in shaping our sensory experience. Additionally, we discussed sensory descriptors, gustation and the way we perceive basic tastes like sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, sourness, and umami.
How Food Sensory Evaluation Improves the Food Industry
In this blog, we shift focus to how sensory evaluation tools can enhance various areas in the food industry, including sales, marketing, quality control, and new product development. Sensory evaluation and sensory science play key roles in guiding the formulation of food and beverages, ensuring they are more likely to be accepted and enjoyed by consumers.
According to the Food Institute (2016), “new product success [in the market] is elusive,” but effective market research can lead to more favourable outcomes. By using both qualitative and quantitative methods, marketers can better understand market trends and consumer needs. It’s important to move away from traditional category definitions, as numerous factors affect a consumer’s willingness to purchase and repurchase a product. Adopting a “consumer-centric view” is necessary, as purchasing decisions are influenced by a complex mix of psychological, social, economic, and cultural factors. These include age, income, situational context (e.g., food consumed during special occasions or while on-the-go), family structure, values (e.g., sustainability, health consciousness), and convenience. Additionally, the current uncertain economic climate makes large investments more challenging. Food Dive (2024) reports that only 26% of new products launched in early 2024 were truly innovative, compared to 50% in 2007. As a result, food companies are increasingly focusing on product line extensions, reformulations, new packaging, and relaunching existing products. Through this process, they rely on sensory data to make informed decisions.
Purpose of Sensory Evaluation in the Food Industry
Sensory science is defined as the scientific study that elicits, measures, analyzes, and interprets reactions to food characteristics perceived through the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing (IFT, 1975). In recent years, consumer research and sensory evaluation has become an essential tool for food marketers and businesses to stay competitive in the consumer goods market. With growing competition for shelf space in grocery stores, sensory evaluation and analysis have become crucial for ensuring product quality. It bridges the gap between food science and consumer perception, ensuring that food products are both appealing and successful. Quality consultants now emphasize creating formal quality plans that incorporate key sensory methods and metrics to comply with customer requirements (SQF quality code). Furthermore, marketing and sales teams use sensory-derived content and sensory concepts, such as aroma wheels and spiderweb diagrams, to communicate essential experiential attributes to customers. These tools help in marketing, sales, quality control, and consumer education by breaking down complex sensory experiences into easily understandable terms.
Sensory Acceptability of Food and Drinks
Sensory acceptability and consumer satisfaction refers to how well food and beverages are perceived and enjoyed by target consumers based on their sensory profiles and product characteristics. This concept plays a key role in food quality assessment, consumer tests, and consumer preference. Important sensory attributes to consider include:
- Appearance: This includes beverage or food colour, opacity, shape, size, and visual texture (e.g., snacks that are easy to eat on the go without leaving a residue).
- Aroma (Smell): Pleasant fragrances and odours affect perceived freshness and appeal.
- Taste (Gustation): Evaluates balance between basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami).
- Texture (Mouthfeel): How food feels in the mouth—whether it’s crunchy, creamy, chewy, sticky, or smooth.
- Aftertaste: The lingering sensation left after swallowing, which can signal product quality or defects.
- Spiciness, Fizziness, Cooling Effect: Sensory sensations like burning, tingling, or cooling when consuming the product.
Benefits of Sensory Evaluation in the Food Industry
Sensory evaluation offers numerous advantages for quality professionals in the food industry, particularly when releasing product batches that meet consumer expectations and quality standards. Key benefits of sensory quality testing include:
- Ensuring Consistency and Meeting Consumer Expectations
- Sensory panels verify that each batch meets predefined benchmarks for flavour, texture, aroma, and appearance, guaranteeing product consistency across production lots.
- Quality Control & Compliance
- Sensory evaluation ensures products meet regulatory and internal quality standards, preventing defective products from reaching potential consumers and reducing the risk of recalls.
- Early Detection of Defects
- Sensory testing and flavour profile tests help identify issues such as off-flavours, undesirable textures, or appearance defects for human senses and sensory organs early, allowing for corrective measures in production.
- Optimizing Raw Material Selection
- Sensory evaluation ensures that raw materials and ingredients meet required sensory attributes before they are used in production, helping to adjust formulations if variations occur.
- Enhancing Consumer Acceptance
- Sensory testing aligns products with consumer preferences, increasing satisfaction, and building brand loyalty.
- Benchmarking Against Competitors
- Sensory evaluations enable comparison with competitors’ products, helping to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for differentiation in sensory properties.
- Regulatory & Labeling Compliance
- Sensory evaluations ensure products meet claims like “extra creamy” or “spicy,” supporting compliance with food safety guidelines.
- Reducing Waste & Cost Efficiency
- Early detection of issues prevents waste and costly recalls, ensuring that only high-quality products reach consumers improving food choices.
Examples of Sensory Evaluation in Consumer Acceptability
When it comes to children, the primary drivers of liking include taste receptors, texture, and appearance. Key sensory characteristics and factors that influence children’s preferences include:
- Sweetness: Children have an inherent preference for sweet flavors.
- Low bitterness and sourness: Foods and beverages that avoid bitter or sour flavors are generally more appealing.
- Soft, crunchy, and creamy textures: Easy-to-eat, engaging textures are preferred.
- Bright colors and interactive elements: Foods that are colorful or allow for interaction (like dipping) are more likely to be enjoyed.
- Brand recognition and family familiarity: Children often prefer foods they are familiar with and those that their family consumes regularly (Birch, L. L., & Fisher, J. O., 1998).
Application of Sensory Evaluation in Marketing
In recent years, visual data representation has become increasingly important in storytelling. Spider or polar area graphs, for example, display multiple sensory attributes in a single chart, making it easier to compare different food products or beverages in sensory research . These tools are useful in ensuring batch consistency and quality control by detecting variations in production lots and aligning products with an ideal sensory profile. Additionally, sensory evaluation is valuable for:
- Reformulating and improving products.
- Benchmarking against competitors’ offerings.
- Identifying unique sensory attributes that help differentiate products in the marketplace.
- Aligning sensory profiles with consumer preferences and expectations.
References
Harvesting the Fruits of Innovation Done Right
Food and beverage innovation plunges nearly 50% since 2007: Mintel
Development of eating behaviors among children and adolescents
Book Food Sensory Analysis Testing
Sirocco Food + Wine Consulting provides sensory training and consulting services. We have conducted many sensory tests on products like wine, chocolate, dairy and plant-based products as well as fish. Examples of sensory evaluation methods are presented in our blog. Our principal and founder, Karine Lawrence, is UC Davis trained. We collaborate with TastelWeb, a French sensory software company. Contact us to discuss your project and request a quote.
