Sensory appraisal

Sensory examination of the effluent from the column of a gas chromatograph by "nasal appraisal" has been introduced into flavor analysis by Fuller et al. (22). Since that time this technique known as "GC-effluent sniffing" has been used in aroma analysis to locate the positions of odorants in a gas chromatogram. It was first... 

Pal, S., Sachdeva, S., and Singh, S. 1995. Methods for determination of sensory quality of foods. A critical appraisaL J. Food. Set Technol. 32, 357-367. 

The sensory evaluation of the jams was carried out by 60 potential consumers and the attributes appraised (appearance, aroma, texture, color, flavor and global impression) judged using a structured 9 point hedonic scale (1= disliked extremely to 9= liked extremely). The experiment was applied to a balanced complete block design according to Stone and Sidel (2004), and 20 g of each treatment presented in plastic cups codified with three digit numbers. The tests were carried out in individual booths in the food sensory analysis laboratory. The results were submitted to an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the differences between the averages compared by the test of Tukey at 5% of probability (Cochram Cox, 1992). 

The brewer and his customer make a subjective assessment of beer flavour each time they taste but for a more objective appraisal it is usually desirable to submit the beer, with suitable controls, to a taste panel. Taste panels may be used to (/) select qualified judges, (//) correlate sensory with chemical and physical measurements, (Hi) study processing effects, maintain quality, evaluate raw material selection, establish storage stability, and reduce costs, (fv) evaluate quality, and (v) determine consumer reaction [Ij. The types of test used include (/) difference tests, (ii) rank order, (Hi) scoring tests, (iv) descriptive tests, (v) hedonic scaling, and (v/) acceptance and preference tests [1]. Difference tests are most commonly used in the brewing industry, the results of which are readily analysed by statistics. Several forms of difference test are used. The A-not-A form of test is perhaps the simplest. Assessors are first familiarized with a standard A and then presented, in a random manner, either with A again or with the comparative sample B. In the paired-comparison test two samples are presented simultaneously (AA, AB, BA, or BB) and assessors report either there is a difference or there is no difference . 

For example, many components in front of the driver can be appraised the dashboard, the steering wheel, the instrument panel, the windscreen. The dashboard has its own sensory characteristics (shape, materials, acoustics), but it is also made up of several elements that can be considered separately with their own sensory properties the radio buttons, the ventilation, the headlights, the vent slots, the speakers, etc. 

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