Sensory properties of food; Physiological and psychological bases for sensory evaluation; The sensory laboratory–environment. Instructions to panel, sample preparation, randomization and labelling; The subjects: recruitment, selection and training; Scaling procedures. Difference, Descriptive, Similarity and temporal methods. Hedonic tests: acceptability and preference tests. Statistical methods for sensory data. Reports on sensory tests.
Textbooks:
Corse handbook;
Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali, Atlante Sensoriale dei Prodotti Alimentari, Milano, Tecniche Nuove, 2013
Ella Pagliarini, Valutazione Sensoriale, Hoepli, 2002
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired:
Physiological and psychological factors affecting sensory responses. Fundamentals of sensory evaluation of food. Classification of sensory tests and methods. Statistical validation of sensory data
Competence acquired (at the end of the course):
To be able to select a sensory test in relation to a specific task. To be able to indicate the conditions for the application of the most common sensory tests. To be able to validate the results of a test
Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
To be able to apply both a difference and a descriptive test. To be able to keep under control the main psychological factors affecting subject responses from the most common sensory tests. To be able to apply an hedonic test. To be able to apply univariate and multivariate methods in validating the performance of a panel. To be able to prepare a report.
Prerequisites
Courses recommmended: Chemistry & Physics Analysis of Food
Frequency of lectures, practice and lab:
not mandatory
Teaching Methods
CFU: 6
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Hours reserved to private study and other indivual formative activities: 48
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 32
Contact hours for: Laboratory (hours): 10
Contact hours for: Laboratory-field/practice (hours): 6
Seminars (hours): 0
Stages: 0
Intermediate examinations: 0
Further information
Teaching tools
e-learning platform UNIFI
slides
sensory laboratory equipped with a computerised system for data acquisition and analysis
Type of Assessment
Exam modality:
oral examination; The exam verifies the acquisition of the knowledges needed to correctly design and conduct either a sensory or a consumer test. Specifically, the students are required to correctly describe the physiological and psychological factors affecting sensory responses, the mechanisms determining food preferences the classification of sensory tests and the relative statistical methods for data validation. The acquired skills are tested by verifying the capability of correctly selecting a sensory test in relation to a specific task and the capability of designing the most common sensory and consumer tests, analyzing and reporting the results. The appropriateness and adequacy of the technical language is evaluated too.
Course program
Sensory properties of food and beverages; Physiological and psychological bases for sensory evaluation; The Sensory Evaluation Laboratory–environment. Instructions to panel, sample preparation, randomization and labelling; The subjects: recruitment, selection and training; Sensory evaluation methodology: the experimental design. Scaling procedures. Sensory test classification. Difference tests: paired difference test, triangular test, duo-trio, ranking test. Descriptive methods: Descriptive Analysis, Free choice profiling, flash analysis. Similarity methods: Sorting and Projective mapping. Temporal methods: Time-Intensity, Temporal Dominance of Sensations. Official methods for sensory evaluation of olive oils. Hedonic tests: acceptability and preference tests. Statistical methods for sensory data. Reports on sensory tests.