ABSTRACT
The human senses play an important role in the consumption of food and beverages. Multiple senses are activated which gives consumers the sensory characteristics of a product at the point of consumption. All five senses or modalities of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing are active during consumption. The combination of sensory characteristics within a product inevitably drives how products are liked and ultimately contributes to the decision to purchase the products. The senses can be used to the analyst’s advantage to measure perceptual differences between products, profile the sensory characteristics of the product, measure perceptual changes as a function of consumption time, and determine product liking. The current chapter first introduces briefly the five senses relevant to the dairy products along with the concept of sensory perception. The remaining chapters are followed by an up-to-date coverage of the available measurement methods for sensory perception. Measurement methods covered will be in the categories of discrimination testing, profiling methods, qualitative tests, temporal tests, and affective tests. Finally, a brief section on precautions for sensory testing is discussed.
