Sensory Science, Consultancy, Department of Food Science

With World-class facilities, we provide a comprehensive sensory service, including objective and subjective methodologies.
We are skilled in using a range of methodologies to assess consumers' responses to food products, most commonly consumer acceptability and liking. We are experienced in linking consumer perceptions, including liking to objective sensory measurements, composition data and/or processing data to obtain an objective measure of consumer liking and uncover consumer drivers of liking.

We have a dedicated trained sensory panel, which is employed solely to do sensory evaluation. The panel and panel leader have experience assessing a large range of food products and food ingredients, including seafood, baked goods, wine and dairy products. The panel have characterised these food products using primarily generic descriptive analysis but also free choice profiling, sorting tasks and some time intensity measures.

We can assist with:

Descriptive analysis (trained panel characterisation of food attributes)
Consumer acceptability and liking
Category appraisal
Preference mapping
Linking consumer preference to analytical measures and or product characteristics
Consumer focus groups
Consumer product perceptions (consumer perceptions of product quality)
Temporal changes in perception during consumption
Time intensity measures
In vivo flavour measurement during eating

In addition to fee-for-service projects we also offer more comprehensive student-based projects. Please enquire for further information.