What is Sensory Evaluation of Food and Drinks? Sensory testing (or sensory evaluation) of food and drinks is a modern tool for assessing the characteristics of a product through the senses, such as taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing.
Pantelis Bargotakis: Head of the accredited Sensory Evaluation Laboratory of TÜV AUSTRIA Labs (founding member of the Hellenic Sensory Science Society-SENSO)
To conduct it properly, a series of conditions must be met, such as modern and specialized facilities (test room) designed based on the requirements of ISO 8589:2007, an extended list of specialized or non-specialized testers (consumers), and documented experience in designing and managing the protocols of organoleptic tests based on the specific requirements of each product.
What is the strategic advantage of Sensory Evaluation?
Sensory Evaluation of food and drinks provided by specialized laboratories offers:
- Objective evaluation of the product, excluding subjectivities that may arise from the tester’s relationship with the company or product.
- Clear picture of the preference and purchase intention of a product or a category of products.
- Information about a product’s characteristics, highlighting its strengths or weaknesses (e.g., taste, smell, texture, aftertaste, etc.).
- Verification of the product’s shelf life (in combination with laboratory analyses).
- Evaluation/comparison of different recipes or ingredients when creating new products (R&D).
- Verification of the accuracy of label information (e.g., cooking suggestions, serving the product, etc.).
- Evaluation of producers and continuous assurance of the quality of Private Label products.
- Valuable assistance in evaluating special diet products and understanding consumer trends in vegan, “free from,” insect-based foods, etc.
- Documentation of quality control processes aimed at producing high-quality products.
- Commercial advantage for product promotion.
- Οverall knowledge of a company’s products, leading to continuous improvement and thus greater acceptance by the market (brand loyalty).
What are the Categories of Sensory Tests?
- Consumer Test (Hedonic test) (ISO 11136:2017): Commonly used in evaluations of new products or PL products. At least 60 non-specialized testers (Consumers) are required.
- Discrimination Tests (ISO 16820:2004): Aim at assessing the differentiation between products. They include:
- Paired comparison test (ISO 5495:2005)
- Duo-trio test (ISO 10399:2017)
- Triangle test (ISO 4120:2021)
- Ranking test (ISO 8587:2006)
- Objective Sensory Test (ISO 6658:2017): Provides evaluation of physicochemical & organoleptic characteristics by trained tasters.
- Shelf-life (ASLT) based on ISO 16779:2015: Aims to document the shelf life of a product. (Microbiological and physicochemical tests are simultaneously required).
Conclusion: Investment Leading to Success