African Journal of Food Science and Technology

The importance of sensory science in food

Victoria C. Krings^* Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Kent, UK
^*Corresponding Author:
Victoria C. Krings, Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Kent, UK, Email: vck6@kent.ac.uk

Received: 30-Dec-2021, Manuscript No. AJFST-22-55829; Editor assigned: 01-Jan-2022, Pre QC No. AJFST-22-55829 ; Reviewed: 15-Jan-2022, QC No. AJFST-22-55829; Revised: 21-Jan-2022, Manuscript No. AJFST-22-55829; Published: 28-Jan-2022, DOI: http:/dx.doi.org/10.14303//ajfst.2022.003

Introduction

Cooking can be defined as the art or skill of combining, mixing, and heating substances to prepare food. In this sense, most food products, from homemade meals to those manufactured industrially, are built on matching. Furthermore, foods are rarely ingested alone, necessitating research into the sensory experience of food-beverage and food-food combos. As a result, taste combination encompasses the inherent arrangement of ingredients inside a recipe, the combination of food products among themselves and with beverages, as well as the production of a complete meal (e.g., entrée, main dish, and dessert) (Floros et al., 2010).

That is why it has been the topic of numerous researches in the gastronomic industry, where chefs are always looking for new ways to develop unique and profitable recipes and menus. Cooks, on the other hand, do not test their meals using statistics or a panel, as is done in sensory science. Instead of employing ingredients with comparable volatile chemicals; researchers controlled the concentration and level of perception of the similar/different aroma by aromatizing the drink and the food in the pair. Two levels of aromatic similarity were contrasted; high aromatic similarity, when the same aroma was added vs. low aromatic similarity, when different aromas were used.

The tested pairs consisted of beer combined with an amuse-bouche served in a transparent terrine. Consumers were first presented one beer and four verrines. They were instructed to imagine they were organizing a party where they would serve beer with an amuse-bouche, the beer was already chosen but they had to select the companion among four provided choices. This was intended to increase participants’ involvement (Galmarini et al., 2017).

Sensory and consumer science encompasses a variety of techniques for assessing food and beverage perception and pleasure (as well as non-edible products like cosmetics, fragrances, textiles). The experimental method and the use of proper statistical analysis distinguish it from a mere taste, whether working with qualitative or quantitative data. When planning the experiment, information, training, and cultural background are all taken into account. Given the complexity of the field, many concerns remain unanswered, such as whether there is a guideline for flavour pairing and food-beverage pairings. Is there a physiological basis for this, or is it more about tradition? The goal of this review is to go over the many methodologies used in consumer and sensory science to assess how people perceive meal pairings. The examination excluded papers from the fields of sociology and anthropology (Thomas et al., 2017).

Ingredient and meal combinations are made for a variety of purposes. Even while it may be tempting to restrict this to chemical composition, it has been demonstrated that volatile compatibility is not the only factor to consider when pairing. Several terms are used in the literature to define what constitutes a good pair (harmony, balance, ideal). When establishing a desirable combination, it is crucial to avoid tautologies and use appropriate terminology: hedonic concepts should not be used (Kim et al., 2018).

References

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Citation: Dzikunoo J (2022). Problem of generating more general food domain ontology.AJFST.13: 003.