Consumers choose their food based on a variety of things including information retrieved from their senses. Appearance, aroma, texture and taste are all called upon when choosing which food product to eat. Ensuring that the end user has the best experience when consuming your product will encourage repeat purchasing and even word-of-mouth marketing with friends and family.
Sensory analysis is a method of research that allows you to evaluate the consumer experience of a product. Conducting a taste panel allows you to test your product out on your target market to determine whether your expectations are a reality. The use of chemical and instrumental methods for examining sensory characteristics are time consuming, complicated, and usually expensive so sensory analysis is often the preferred method of data collection.
Taste panels can be used for a variety of reasons, you can benchmark your product against competitors as well as validate recipes or ingredient changes. The process can be used as quality control of any changes that occur due to cost reduction and is also a helpful tool when determining shelf life and evaluating packaging options.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a start-up, or a huge international brand, sensory research and testing can help your company gain valuable knowledge that will help you to improve your product. Contact us for more information on how we can support your brand.
