Sensory analysis, a tool to assess product quality

Evaluation of a product quality is SUBJECTIVE.

Numerous biases may modify consumers’ perceptions (adaptation, tiredness, interactions between testers…)

Sensory analysis is a science based on a set of methods measuring sensory perceptions.

It enables to assess:

differences

preferences

attitudes,

motivations, behavior

« Descriptives » trials performed by trained panels

Hedonic trials
performed by consumers without any training

« Qualitative » trials performed by consumers without any training

Understanding consumers’ liking to support innovation

Sensory analysis links:

the results from expert panels ( = sensory descriptions)

the results from consumer test ( = sensory preferences)

To map sensory preferences of consumers on the basis of objective criteria and help professionals to:

breed plants that meet consumers’ expectations

segment their products

improve their marketing communication

Sensotype the products to accelerate plante breeding and segmentation

Research centers develop alternatives to traditional sensory analysis in order to face the high-throughput phenotyping challenge: be able to characterize a high number of samples in a short amount of time.

For this purpose, sensotyping tools were developed to get simplified descriptive sensory analyses that are easy-to-use for the professionnals to quickly screen new products.

Example: faster sensory evaluation of taste, texture or visual aspect of a fruit or a plant in relation with quantification of a physical, chemical or biological markers.

Sensory analysis is a transversal science that enables numerous research teams of SFR Quasav to work towards creation of plant products that meet producers and consumers expectations: new varieties of apples, pears, roses, new cultural practices to improve aesthetic quality of ornamental plants, new process to improve the organoleptic qualities of wine or cider… The researchers of GRAPPE laboratory (ESA, unit under contract with INRA) and of some teams of IRHS have been producing knowledge, methods and tools dedicated to the professionals of the plant sector in order to better understand the consumers’ expectations and integrate them in the innovation process.