SENSORY EVALUATION OF FOODS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

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Introduction

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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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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.

Sensory Evaluation

Definition

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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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Appearance

Role of senses

Color, gloss, translucency Size & shape Surface characteristics Interior appearance Clarity Discoloration Mode of presentation

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Mode of presentation

Role of senses

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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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)

Role of senses

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Flavour

Role of senses

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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Role of senses

Texture/mouthfeel

Sensory manifestation of the structure or inner make up of a food product (solids or semi-solids)

Sounds produced by a food during mastication (chewing) or physical handling.

Includespitch – frequency of soundloudness – intensity of the soundpersistence – endurance of sound over time

Noise

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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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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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Sensory Panels

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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 10-15 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 80-120 in number.

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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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