Questions & Answers
from "On Ice Cream" featured in Dairy Foods magazine
and sourced from "On Ice Cream" technical short courses.

Sensory Evaluation - QA / Product Development:

Question: Can I apply one type of sensory evaluation program to both product development and quality management?

Answer: Since the objectives of sensory evaluation for product development and quality management differ, it is not practical to use the same program for both. For product development, the objective is to determine consumer acceptance of a given set of finished product attributes. Thus, product development sensory evaluation involves the use of panels to determine like-dislike, and/or preference responses. Those responses are correlated to qualitative or quantitative product attributes. Results can be statistically examined to identify prototypes most preferred by a given target market. Once the nature of the final product has been established, a set of sensory specifications is developed against which the accuracy and precision of production can be measured by quality assurance sensory evaluation.

For quality assurance sensory evaluation, the goal is to determine if manufactured products meet specifications set by the product development process. For quality assurance purposes, unlike product development, preferencde is not relevant. Rather, the program measures conformity to standards without regard to the personal preferences of the panelists. It is also important for quality management sensory panelists to identify as precisely as possible the nature of any deviation from the control. To do that, training is specifically focused on identifying deviations from set standards. Panelists should also be able to identify possible causes of any deviations found. This enables aggressive corrective actions to be taken.

The sensory evalution program used most frequently for monitoring ice cream quality in the industry involves the application of a process that has been evolving for nearly 100 years. That evolution has provided a sensory evaluation discipline specifically developed for dairy product quality management. Its principles are taught in many university food science programs. To see the fundamentals of good quality management sensory evaluation in practice, we highly recommend you observe the teams from leading food science departments competing in the 2001 Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest during Worldwide Food Expo in Chicago. The action starts Saturday morning October 20 on the Expo floor. The well-trained contestants represent a valuable resource for the industry--individuals with proficiency and knowledge in recognizing and correcting dairy product quality deviations. We think you will be impressed by the talent and approaches on display and take home some valuable sensory learning.