Capability Building on Sensory Evaluation Method with focus on Upgrading

and Expanding Scope of Analysis

Year 1: Building-up Competency on Color Analysis using Visual Evaluation.

Year 2: Determination of Color Acuity of Sensory Panelists

Claire S. Malibiran, Jeselle Paola Y. Belen, Sherleen P. Mendoza,

and Dionisio M. Mariano Jr.

Sensory perception to consumer action

Consumer often assesses the initial quality of the product by its color and

appearance. The appearance and color of food products are thus the primary

indicators of perceived quality. Color in everyday life is important in appreciating

beauty of creations. In food and nutrition, color means quality of the food. Vibrant

red, yellow or green color in fruits and vegetables indicate high anti-oxidant content

that is good in preventing cancer. Color perceived by the eyes is useful in

determining freshness in foods. Yellowness indicates change in the quality of fruits

and vegetables due to storage. Browning in food also called Maillard browning is the

result of sugar breakdown that may contribute desirable flavor of caramel or

sometimes off-tastes.

Capability building on visual color analysis

FNRI employs improved approach in food analysis through correlating results of

visual color evaluation and instrument analysis. In color perception, multiple physical,

sensory, and psychological factors participate. For that reason, FNRI Sensory

Evaluation Laboratory (FNRI-SEL) established a protocol in evaluating intensity of

color in food. The protocol specifies the appropriate test conditions, light sources,

qualifications of panelists, preparation of samples and viewing positions. Such

conditions are necessary to ensure that the reported differences during sensory

evaluation are due, if possible, only to differences between the samples. .

Use of color analysis in quality control

When conditions are in place, sensory panelists were able to perform as objective

instruments in evaluating the color quality of food products. FNRI study showed that

panelists were able to rank in order the increasing yellowness in liquid sample as

correctly as the measuring instrument (Minolta CM-5 Spectrophotometer) can give

accurate change in color. This shows that visual analysis can be used as an

objective quality control in food product development and an inexpensive alternative

to instruments. Training and conditioning of sensory panelists reduce variations

brought by human factors, surrounding interferences and improve sensitivity. The

same result was observed after the FNRI-SEL protocol for color analysis was

implemented to analyze intensity of color of powder and liquid samples. Panelists

were able to detect difference in intensity of color.

Whiteness, yellowness, and browning are important characteristics of food products

because they indicate changes in the quality of the product due to processing or

storage. FNRI-SEL validated an existing method and drafted a protocol for visual

color analysis. The validation experiment was able to establish the conditions for

testing, to specify the qualifications of panelists and to verify the performance of

panelist using actual food samples. For sustaining the proper implementation of the

protocol, it is recommended to continue monitoring of panelist performance and

perform calibration using product standards similar to the characteristics of the

samples being evaluated at FNRI.

 Pull-out Quotes

Pull-out Quote: “Panelists were able to rank in order the increasing

yellowness in liquid sample as correctly as the measuring instrument can

give accurate change in color”

Project Photos

Figure 1 Training of panelists to detect changes in intensity of yellowness and greyness.