Implication of Sensory Evaluation and Quality Assessment in Food Product Development: A Review

Abstract

The quality of food products is determined by physical properties, chemical composition, the level of contaminants (microbiological and toxic substances) and sensory attributes. Consumers around the world demand consistent supply of quality food products that reflect the value of the price they pay for them. The nature of raw materials and ingredients reflect the quality of food products in the market. Raw materials as well as packaging materials should be purchased based on the quality specifications that suppliers should adhere to. This review aimed at highlighting the importance of using objective assessment tools and consumer/sensory evaluation in determining the quality and acceptability of new food products. Objective tests are used to measure one particular attribute of a food product rather than its overall quality. They are generally rapid, reliable and repeatable. On the other hand sensory methods measure the reaction to stimuli resulting from the consumption of a product. Sensory testing is often used to determine consumer acceptability of a food product and contributes to the design of quality systems hence considered as a technical support for quality assurance during food production. Not only that but also it helps to obtain feedback for making decisions and carrying out proper modification of a particular food product. Therefore objective methods and sensory evaluation are indispensable tools for routine quality control of new food products as well as the existing ones.

Analytical Methods for Lipid Oxidation and Antioxidant Capacity in Food Systems

“…A trained or untrained panelist can determine the sensory attributes, such as smell, flavor, and taste of the food product [73]. Sensory evaluation is considered a critical method since it directly interprets oxidation levels in a food product [74][75][76]. In a practical situation, this evaluation is performed by field panels, consumer panels, free choice profiling panels, quantitative description analysis panels, and expert panels, especially with low-moisture foods, such as cereals [70,73,77].…”

The Level of Preference of Instant Rice Bran Milk Products Innovation with Various Flavor Variants as Functional Food

“…In practice, the hedonic scale can be used to determine whether there is a difference in the level of panelist preference for a product, so hedonic tests are often used to assess organoleptically against similar commodities or development products [9]. Hedonic test is widely used to assess the final product.…”

Sensory and Instrumental Methods of Meat Evaluation: A Review

“…They would use precarious sensory testing to determine whether a production method is good or not, as well as the quality of the end product. The tests were gradually replaced by more disciplined and directed tests that were more quantitative and exact, more accurate, less dangerous, and did not require segmentation [20]. Sensory analysis is divided into two categories: analytical and emotional.…”

“…Sensory qualities of foods are ranked in order of appearance in these tests, and relative intensities are assigned [20]. They provide more complete profiles of a product by recognizing and quantifying the product's many attributes.…”

“…The judge should be regularly trained, and the answer should be computerized, before a time-intensity curve for the specified attribute may be obtained. The curve's maximum intensity, the point at which maximum is reached, and the first point at which no more perception occurs are all investigated using analysis of variance [20].…”