The Role of Sensory Evaluation in Food Quality Control,

In Vietnam, the applying of sensory evaluation is only limited in some important coffee or tea manufacturers to grade these products according to an international or national norm (ex. TCVN321579). This kind of sensory practice based on operations of some experts. However, quality of food product is a complex issue and not one to be solely defined by the experts who are often searching either for the default of products or for subtleties that are of little interest to the consumer. Of all a product's attributes, the most vital are the sensory properties, as they are most apparent to the consumers. Therefore, the majority of consumer complaints relate directly to sensory quality failures. The case study on coffee products showed that properly trained sensory panels can be used to analyze and to detect quality problems early enough to put them right. In addition, by using preference test, we could gain insight into what might be influencing the consumer preferences and therefore what the key attributes of a product may be. Descriptive methods were used to quantify these key attributes and the applying of multivariate data analysis permitted uncovering sensory derived segments. These data are important in demonstrating that sensory evaluation influences business decisions and ensures product success through understanding and linking consumers and products.