Sensory analysis occupies a special place in food research. It provides information about the product which is not possible with other testing techniques.
The word “sensory” means sense, feeling or awareness. Sensory analysis is an evaluation made with the senses used as a measuring apparatus.
At J.S. Hamilton Poland, we know how important sensory analysis is to our customers from the food sector. That is why a trained team of experts supports our customers in the field of:
- sensory quality control of raw materials, finished products and packaging,
- preparation of sensory specification of products,
- analysis of causes of complaints and defects in products,
- analysis of variation of sensory attributes in a product as a result of optimization process (e.g. after changing the recipe, raw material supplier, etc.),
- development and verification of sensory claims,
- analysis of sensory attributes of the product at different stages of production,
- analysis of variability of sensory attributes of the product during storage,
- validation of preparation methods,
- analysis of sensory attributes of products available on the market,
- sensory analysis of packaging.
The most frequently used methods of laboratory sensory analysis at J.S. Hamilton Poland are: differential, scaling, serial, determining changes of intensity of sensory impressions in time and quantitative descriptive analysis.
Differential methods aim at detecting differences in sensory quality. They are mostly applied when changes are made to the product (e.g., changes in the recipe, packaging, manufacturing technology).
Scale methods are used to quantify the quality and sensory intensity of the product in terms of selected attributes. In these methods, it is assumed that each number or point on the scale is proportional to the intensity of the quality attribute being evaluated. They are used as an analytical tool both in laboratory research, industrial quality control and consumer research.
Serialisation methods are intermediate between differential and scaling methods. They are based on ordering product samples according to a specific attribute or its degree of desirability, e.g., from most to least salty.
Methods of determining changes in the intensity of sensory impressions over time allow monitoring changes in the sensory intensity of specific product attributes over time. This method provides valuable information about the quality of the food product not available from other methods.
The method of quantitative descriptive analysis, also called profiling method, is one of the most complex (comprehensive), but also dynamically developing and widely used methods of sensory analysis. The basic assumption is that palatability, smell or texture is not a single quality attribute of a product but a complex of many individual characteristics that can be distinguished, identified and their intensity determined.
Contact our team today to learn more – or to schedule your sensory analysis with us.