Food Texture Studies Overview

Types of Food Panels

• Trained Panels: Carefully selected and trained panelists, not necessarily experts, are used to assess the sensory characteristics (intensity and overall quality) of food. Panels should have a small number of members (5-10) and are suitable for developmental, processing, and storage studies. A small, highly trained panel delivers more reliable results than a large, untrained panel.

Semi-Trained Panels (D&C Panels)

• These panels consist of people familiar with the quality of milk and dairy products. They can discriminate between differences and communicate their reactions, though formal training isn't required. Individual variations can be balanced by increasing the number of panelists (25-30). These panels are useful as a preliminary screening tool to select products for large-scale consumer trials.

Consumer Panels

• Consumer (untrained) panels are composed of members drawn from the target consumer population in a specific market area. Members should be selected randomly and represent different age, sex, race, and income groups. A consumer panel typically includes more than 80 members.

Olfactory Abilities

• Olfaction (sense of smell) is often considered the least acute sense in humans, compared to animals. This difference is linked to a larger number of olfactory receptor neurons and a larger area of cortex devoted to olfaction in many species. A 70-kg human's olfactory epithelium has approximately 10 cm² of surface area.

Odor Classification

• Numerous attempts have been made to categorize and classify odors. One notable system developed in the 1950s by John Amoore categorized odors based on perceived quality, molecular structure, and difficulties some individuals (anosmics) experience in identifying specific odors. Categories include pungent, floral, musky, earthy, ethereal, camphor, peppermint, ether, and putrid.

Food Texture Studies

• Humans have consumed various food types and textures across cultures and time periods. Though the practice has existed for a long time, formal scientific study of food texture dates back to the late 1950s. Early work explored the concepts of elastic deformation, and Newtonian fluids, which laid the groundwork for later investigations of texture.

• Food texture is defined as the mechanical, geometrical, and surface attributes that are perceptible through mechanical, tactile (touch), visual, and auditory senses. Combining sensory evaluation with instrumental measurement methods has been a common practice since the 1960s. Food texture studies utilize various methods described in publications like the Journal of Texture Studies.