LPT 321: Meat Science (1+1)

DIFFERENT METHODS AND USES OF SENSORY EVALUATION

• The three major types of test utilised in undertaking sensory evaluation are
• Discrimination Tests
• Descriptive Tests
• Affective Tests

Discrimination Tests

• Discrimination Tests are used to determine whether a difference exists between samples. The panelist does not allow his personnel likes and dislikes to influence his response. Laboratory difference panels are used to determine if there is a difference among samples.
• Examples of these tests include
• Paired Comparison
• Triangle tests
• Duo-trio
• Ranking Tests

Descriptive Tests

• Descriptive tests are used to determine the nature and intensity of the differences. It requires trained panels. Examples of these tests include
• Rating or Scoring
• Texture and Flavour Profile Analysis
• Quantitative Descriptive Analysis

Affective Tests

• Preference tests are affective tests based on a measure of preference from which relative preference can be determined Examples of these tests include
• Hedonic test - This is the one most commonly utilised in assessing meat.

Uses of Sensory Evaluation

• In the food industry, sensory evaluation is used for:
• Grading
• Foods can be graded and standardized; this is often done completely by a sensory judgment.
• We are familiar with this in the wine industry; an expert will designate wines. In the coffee industry we utilize expert cuppers.
• Quality Assurance
• We need to understand variations in natural products but do not tolerate them in processed foods.
• If the flavor of a candy is changed, we may reject it.
• Sensory evaluation is a critical tool for Quality Assurance personnel.
• It can be used to test for off-flavors, changes due to reformulation, the effects of changes in processing, the effects of storage under various conditions (shelf life studies), the effects of packaging, etc,.
• In coffee, we need to understand the scope of natural variation in our product.
• It is used to discern natural variance in new crop vs. past crop coffee or to want to distinguish new crop acidity from possible taint.
• If you are going to look at changes in your business in any part of the process, from growing to packaging, you’ll want to use sensory evaluation to note differences in the final product.
• Correlate Sensory & Chemical/Physical Properties
• What specific characteristics in an item give it its taste and smell and are there ways we can manipulate these? (E.g. what are the chemical changes that take place when a wine matures? Which ones affect the flavor? Can they be accelerated?)
• Marketing
• Sensory information can be vital in making marketing decisions.
• Data is needed about product preferences, product optimization, consumer acceptance, etc.
• There is a difference between what you do to assess product quality and process and what you do to look at consumer’s preferences.
• You never want to use trained experts to predict consumer behavior because by virtue of their training they are no longer reflective of the general population.