Article | REF: F4000 V1

Sensory evaluation of food products

Authors: Félix DEPLEDT, François SAUVAGEOT

Publication date: September 10, 2002

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AUTHORS

  • Félix DEPLEDT: Honorary forensic chemist at the Paris Court of Appeal - Member of the French Academy of Agriculture

  • François SAUVAGEOT: Doctor of Science - Head of the "Gestion des propriétés sensorielles des aliments" postgraduate diploma (DESS) - École nationale supérieure de biologie appliquée à la nutrition et à l'alimentation (ENSBANA) – Université de Bourgogne

 INTRODUCTION

Over the past twenty years, sensory analysis and metrology have undergone undeniable development. This development is due both to the food industry's desire to know more about the products they put on the market, and to the demands of mass retailers who want to ensure that the products they market under their own brands have characteristics that distinguish them from (or make them resemble) leading products. It has been supported by advances in knowledge and the availability of standardized methods.

In recent years, the field of application has extended beyond the food industry to include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, perfumery, hygiene products, packaging, fabrics, mechanics, furnishings, advertising and more.

There are two distinct approaches to sensory evaluation. The first, generally referred to as sensory analysis, seeks to determine the organoleptic properties of foods, i.e. their action on the various sensory receptors stimulated before, during and after ingestion of a food, whether liquid or solid. The practitioner's aim is often to specify the distinct sensory effects of the product's various constituents. Classically, there are two main categories of test: discriminative tests, which aim to determine whether or not two or more products are different, and descriptive or profile tests, which aim to highlight the similarities and differences between products, in the form of sensory maps. The second perspective seeks to specify the preferences or rejections brought about by these organoleptic properties; it is characterized by the expression hedonic evaluation. This distinction is fundamental: sensory analysis focuses on the product for its own sake, while hedonic analysis looks at how a product is accepted by a target group of consumers. The two complementary perspectives are referred to as sensory evaluation or sensory metrology. They share a certain number of chemical, physiological and psychological foundations, and the interpretation of results is based on appropriate statistics. This explains why the standards drawn up by Afnor (or Iso) for these two perspectives were the fruit of the work of the same commission.

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