Time-Dependent Measures of Perception in Sensory Evaluation

Sensory evaluation is a scientific discipline used to evoke, measure, analyse and interpret responses to products perceived through the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. It is used to reveal insights into the way in which sensory properties drive consumer acceptance and behaviour, and to design products that best deliver what the consumer wants. It is also used at a more fundamental level to provide a wider understanding of the mechanisms involved in sensory perception and consumer behaviour.

Sensory perception of products alters considerably during the course of consumption/use. Special techniques are used in product development to measure these changes in order to optimise product delivery to consumers. Time-Dependent Measures of Perception in Sensory Evaluation explores the many facets of time-dependent perception including mastication and food breakdown, sensory-specific satiety and sensory memory. Both traditional and cutting-edge techniques and applications used to measure temporal changes in sensory perception over time are reviewed, and insights into the way in which sensory properties drive consumer acceptance and behaviour are provided.

This book will be a valuable resource for sensory professionals working in academia and industry, including sensory scientists, practitioners, trainers and students; and industry-based researchers in QA/QC, R&D and marketing.

Joanne Hort, Associate Professor in Sensory Science, University of Nottingham, UK. Joanne Hort, BEd (Hons), PhD, MIFST, initially studied Food Technology and began her career in teaching. However, she returned to the university to receive her doctorate concerning the modelling of the sensory attributes of cheese from analytical and instrumental measures in 1998. As a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, she carried out sensory consultancy for local industry, developed a sensory program at undergraduate level and oversaw the installation of new sensory facilities before being appointed as Lecturer in Sensory Science at the University of Nottingham in 2002. She has since established the University of Nottingham Sensory Science Centre, which is renowned for both its sensory training and research into flavour perception. She delivers sensory courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and is the Course Director for the Postgraduate Certificate in Sensory Science. Her research interests focus on the multimodal aspects of flavour perception and she has published several articles in this area, together with oral presentations and posters at international symposia. She is a founder member and current Chair of the Professional Food Sensory Group of the Institute of Food Science and Technology and was on the organising committee of the 6th International Pangborn Symposium in the United Kingdom in 2005.

Dr Sarah E. Kemp, Consultant and formerly Head of Global Sensory and Consumer Guidance, Cadbury Schweppes, Broadstairs, Kent, UK. Sarah Kemp, BSc (Hons), PhD, CSci, FIFST, is a sensory and consumer science professional with more than 20 years of experience in academia and industry. Dr Kemp gained a BSc in Food Technology in 1986 and a PhD in Taste Chemistry in 1989 from the Food Science and Technology Department at Reading University, UK. In 1990, she did a postdoctoral research fellowship on sensory analysis at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, USA. Dr Kemp has held numerous positions in the industry, including Manager of Sensory Psychology in the Fragrance Division of Givaudan-Roure in New Jersey, USA, Director of European Consumer and Marketing Research in the Fragrance Division at Givaudan-Roure, France, Product Area Leader and Sensory Science Leader in Foods Consumer Science at Unilever Research Colworth, UK, Head of Global Sensory and Consumer Guidance at Cadbury Schweppes, UK, and Director of Sensory and Consumer Services at Reading Scientific Services Ltd, UK. Dr Kemp has also set up and run her own consultancy service, Kemps Research Solutions Ltd. She has written numerous scientific articles in the field of sensory evaluation, has provided sensory training courses, including lecturing on the European Masters Course in Food Science, and has worked with bodies developing standards in sensory evaluation, such as the American Society for Testing and Materials and the British Standards Institute. She is a founder member of the Professional Food Sensory Group of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, and a member of several other professional bodies, including the Sensory Evaluation Division of the Institute of Food Technologists, and the Consumer and Sensory Research Technical Interest Group of the Society of Chemical Industry.

Tracey Hollowood, Director of Sensory and Consumer Research, Sensory Dimensions Ltd, Nottingham, UK. Hollowood, BSc (Hons), PhD, MIFST, has over 15 years of experience in academia and industry; she worked at Nottingham University for 10 years during which time she achieved her doctorate investigating perceptual taste-texture-aroma interactions. She established the United Kingdom's first Post Graduate Certificate in Sensory Science, and designed and managed the university's prestigious Sensory Science Centre. Her early research focused on psychophysical studies, and interactions in sensory modalities; more latterly with Sensory Dimensions her research has centred more on method development and evaluation against excepted procedures. She has over 20 peer-reviewed publications; has given numerous oral presentations and workshops; and has participated in the organisation of seven international symposia, including International Symposium of Taste 2000 and Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium 2005. She is the current Chair of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), Midland Branch and an active founder member of the Professional Food Sensory Group (PFSG).