Food Acceptance & Food Evaluation

Lesson 1

Food is consumed only if it is acceptable to the consumer.

Food Acceptance

defined as fitness for use.

Food Quality

ISO

International Standards Organization

apply human senses as instruments to measure food acceptability.

Sensory methods

done instinctively every time a person decides to start eating.

Informal Food Evaluation

is done in test kitchens, food laboratories, food product development departments and in consumer tests and surveys.

Formal Food Evaluation

3 sensory attributes:

appearance, flavor, mouthfeel

The size, shape and color of food are easily discernible by sight.

Appearance

The natural color of food is due to pigments in plant or animal tissues.

True

is due to enzymatic action between oxygen and polyphenols.

Enzymatic browning

can be due to sugar-amine reactions, ascorbic acid oxidation or caramelization of sugars.

Non-enzymatic browning

two basic components of flavor:

aroma, taste

is perceived when the volatilized odorous substance comes in contact with receptors in the nose.

Aroma

There are about _______________ olfactory fibers in the human nose.

80 to 100 million

It is estimated that the human olfactory organ can distinguish ____________ odors.

16 million

Smell and taste are perceived simultaneously because of the airway ___________.

Pharynx

The process of tasting begins in the oral cavity.

Taste

The taste receptors are stimulated by contact with solid compounds.

False

Humans have approximately _____________ taste buds at maximum development.

9,000 to 10,000

Taste buds degenerate and are replaced every __ days.

7

Basic Tastes:

sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami.

• the Japanese word for “delicious”

• characterized as savory, meaty and rich in flavor

Umami

The tactile sense when food is in the mouth; related to the perception of moisture and fat content of the food.

Mouthfeel

This sensory quality can be seen (appearance) by the physical characteristics of the food, (like rough or smooth, silky or fibrous, etc.) and by mouthfeel as explained above.

Texture

plays an important role in food preferences as well as food aversions.

Memory

are also called subjective tests because the results depend on the consumers or a panel of food judges.

Sensory evaluations

are used to evaluate food products in terms of difference or similarities; such methods can be quantitative or qualitative.

Analytical Methods

is a qualitative test and allows the panelists to correlate vocabulary with specific perceptions.

Descriptive Test

include measurement of differences/similarities from/to a reference food

Discriminative Tests

determine the panelist's threshold for specific flavors.

Sensitivity Tests

on the other hand, are those that evaluate preference and acceptance of food products.

Affective methods

Is anchored verbally with nine different categories ranging from "like extremely" to "dislike extremely. Were later simplified to a 7 or 5-score scale.

Hedonic Scale

involves instrumentation and the use of physical and chemical techniques to evaluate food quality instead of depending on consumers or food judges with variable human sensory organs.

Objective Evaluation

a device used to test the breaking strength of pastry, cookies, and crackers

Shortometer

as used to test the firmness of baked custards

Penetrometer

can be defined as the degree of excellence of a food and includes factors such as appearance, texture, flavor, and nutritional quality, as well as its bacteriological or keeping quality.

Food quality

is essential for development of new products.

Sensory Analysis

is needed for routine quality control of food products.

Objective Testing

Uses individuals

Subjective Evaluation

Involves human sensory organs

Subjective Evaluation

Uses physical and chemical techniques

Objective Evaluation

Results may vary

Subjective Evaluation

Uses equipment

Objective Evaluation

Need to find a technique appropriate for the food being tested

Objective Evaluation

Results are repeatable

Objective Evaluation

Determines human sensitivity to changes in ingredients, processing, or packaging

Subjective Evaluation

Time-consuming and needs statistical methods for analyzing results

Subjective Evaluation

Determines consumer acceptance

Subjective Evaluation

Generally faster and more efficient than sensory testing, but the equipment can be expensive.

Objective Evaluation

Essential for product development and for marketing of new products

Subjective Evaluation

Cannot determine consumer acceptance unless correlated with sensory testing

Objective Evaluation

Essential for routine quality control

Objective Evaluation