ABSTRACT
I. Factors Influencing the Quality of Frozen Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
A. Freezing Method and Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
B. Storage Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564
C. Temperature Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565
II. Shelf-Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565
III. Product-Specific Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
A. Fruits and Vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
B. Meat, Poultry, and Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567
C. Breads and Pastries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567
D. Ice Cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567
E. Frozen Prepared Dinners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
IV. Methods Of Sensory Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
A. Specific Types of Sensory Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
B. Types of Questions to be Answered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569
C. Type of Panelist Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
D. Samples to be Used for Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
E. Elimination of Bias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571
F. Statistical Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571
G. Tests for Shelf-Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571
H. Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
1. Example 1 — Product Development of Frozen Raw Dough Biscuit . . . . . 572
2. Example 2 — Consumer Acceptance of Biscuit Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573
3. Example 3 — Shelf-Life of Frozen Biscuit Dough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573
V. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
Sensory analysis uses human perception for the measurement of food characteristics and the effects
of those attributes on food acceptance. As almost all food is intended to be eaten by people, sensory
studies are critical to understanding the characteristics of food and food acceptance. The United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated that “quantifications of sensory attributes of con-
sumer goods are the basic elements needed for processing and delivering the value-added quality
attributes — odor, flavor, texture — to consumers” [1]. Peryam [2] stated that a “pressing need”
exists for sensory information on products. As early as the 1930s, researchers determined that
humans were important for evaluating such practical problems as the oxidized flavor in stored
milk [3]. Galvin and Waldrop [4] stated that information on sensory properties is essential to make
the new food possibilities of the future a reality at the table.
