ABSTRACT
The name Spectrum covers a method designed by Civille in collaboration with a number of companies that were looking for a way to obtain reproducible sensory descriptive analysis of their products (Muñoz and Civille, 1992, 1998). Civille created the Spectrum method in the 1970s based on her experiences with the flavor profile and texture profile methods (detailed in Chapter 11) at General Foods. The method was first formally presented at the Institute for Food Technologists Sensory Course in 1979 and was officially named the Spectrum Descriptive Analysis Method in 1986 when Sensory Spectrum was incorporated. Deviations from the texture and flavor profile methods to the Spectrum method include a more discriminating scale (over 150 points), the utilization of statistics, and the expansion of descriptive analysis beyond foods. In addition to personal care and home care products, the Spectrum method can be used in unconventional applications such as the odor and/or sound of car or airplane cabin interiors or quick-serve restaurants. The Spectrum method differs from methods such as quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) because references are provided for both attributes (e.g., distilled lemon in the evaluation of lemon-lime soda) and intensity (e.g., Bitter 2, Bitter 5, Bitter 10, Bitter 15).
