Sensory Evaluation of Food

1. Chpt. 6 summary Sensory Evaluation of Food

2. Objectives/Terms • Describe sensory characteristics that affect food preferences • Terms: Flavor, Garnish, Monosodium Glutamate, Mouthfeel, olfactory, Sensory characteristics, Sensory Evaluation, Sensory Evaluation Panel, Taste Blind, Taste Buds, Volatile

3. Food Choices • What influences food choices????

4. Culture and Heritage • Preferences and Tastes are passed down • Influenced by climate, geography and contact with other cultures

5. Emotions • Preferences often based on emotional associations • good/bad memories • Comfort foods • Food choices make personal statements • Advertisers take advantage of this • Using specific, words, images and music to advertise their products

6. Religious Beliefs • Personal beliefs • Don’t believe in the slaughtering of animals • Many religions have dietary laws • No meat on Fridays • Only Kosher foods • No beef • Fasting

7. Health Concerns • Nutritional Value • Certain physical conditions • Lactose intolerant • Diabetic • Allergies • Age • Changes in health can alter eating patterns

8. Food Costs/Technology • Budget may influence what you buy, cook and eat • People who have to rely on government programs are limited in their food choices • Adding new foods • Increased access to foods

9. The Scientific Approach • Sensory Evaluation • Scientifically testing food, using human senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing • Sensory Characteristics • The qualities of food identified by the eating • How a food, looks, smells and feels when eating it

10. The Flavor Factor • Flavor: distinctive quality that comes from a foods unique blend of appearance, taste, feel, odor and sound • Involves all senses • Appearance • Can be a sign of quality, ripeness • Sometimes appealing appearance is based on custom • Green ketchup • Green eggs and ham

11. Flavor Factor Con’t • Combinations of colors are important too! • Catches your eye • Garnish: decorative arrangement added to food or drink

12. Taste and Odor • Think Fish??? Cookies?? • Taste Blind: unable to distinguish between flavors in some foods • May be caused by diseases, medication and medical treatments • Colds, allergies, smoking

13. Taste and Odor Con’t • Taste Buds: sensory organs located on your tongue • Monosodium glutamate (MSG): salt that interacts with other ingredients to enhance salty and sour taste • Olfactory: related to the sense of smell • Responds to smells

14. Temperature • Volatile: substances that are easily changed into vapor • Food may taste differently depending on temperature • Some types of food are more sensitive to heat than others • Heat increases the sweet taste of some sugars

15. Texture • Mouth feel: how food feels in the mouth • SOUND • Crunch • Example soggy cereal is less appealing than crispy cereal • Do you ever hear food cooking and get hungry???

16. Sensory Evaluation • Sensory Evaluation Panels: groups of people who evaluate food samples • 3 main groups: • Highly Trained Experts: judge the quality based on standards set by the food industry. Work individually • Laboratory Panels: Small groups that work at a company's lab. Help develop new products and determone how to change existing products • 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

17. Uniform Evaluations • Used to get the most reliable information • Must make testing Experiences as uniform as possible • 1. Minimize Distractions • 2. Minimize Bias • 3. Help evaluators use their senses to the fullest