In sensory evaluation of food, the sensory perception by humans plays a major role, thus creating subjective biases and variability due to physiological factors and environmental influences. The perception of taste, smell, texture, and appearance may differ from person to person; fatigue, expectation, and other environmental conditions affect the results. Understanding the challenges in sensory evaluation of food is essential for creating an appropriate test procedure that will deliver reliable results for formulation, quality control, and product development. [1]
Key Challenges in Sensory Evaluation of Food: Causes & Solutions
In sensory evaluation of food, the sensory perception by humans plays a major role, thus creating subjective biases and variability due to physiological factors and environmental influences. The perception of taste, smell, texture, and appearance may differ from person to person; fatigue, expectation, and other environmental conditions affect the results. Understanding the challenges in sensory evaluation of food is essential for creating an appropriate test procedure that will deliver reliable results for formulation, quality control, and product development. [1]
What Is Sensory Evaluation in Food Science?
Sensory evaluation of food can be defined as the scientific process of using the human senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and sometimes hearing) to evaluate food characteristics such as appearance, aroma, flavor, taste, texture, and overall acceptability. For instance, the crispness of a snack depends on its texture as well as the sounds made while biting the snack.
Sensory evaluation in food product development supplements chemical and instrumental analyses to develop food formulation, compare prototypes, conduct shelf-life studies, and conduct consumer testing. This methodology is determined by research questions: a sensory-trained panel is selected for descriptive sensory analysis of attribute intensity testing, while consumer liking/acceptance is measured. The choice of assessors for selection and training is guided by ISO 8586:2023, while ISO 4120:2021 outlines the procedure of the triangle test for detecting differences between products when there have been changes in ingredients, manufacturing, packaging, handling, and storage. [2]
Common Challenges in Conducting Sensory Evaluation
To achieve scientifically valid testing, various sources of variation need to be controlled. Some of the most encountered food sensory testing challenges include panelist behavior, environmental conditions, sample preparation, fatigue, and experimental design.
Panelist Bias and Training Issues
Subjectivity is a major challenge in sensory analysis in food industry research. Taste and product perception vary among individuals; thus, one evaluator may experience bitterness much more intensely compared to another. Another important bias factor is expectation bias. Awareness of the fact that the product is the “new formulation” may influence its evaluation score. To control that, blind testing and neutral three-digit coding are recommended.
Fatigue is another concern- the analysis of multiple samples at once decreases discrimination capability. Carryover, which is the impact of one sample’s smell or taste on the assessment of the next one, means that the proper sequence of the samples and palate cleansing procedures become important.
Structured sensory panel training helps assessors for evaluation of sensory characteristics without individual preferences, using shared terminology and reference products. The performance of the panel must also be checked; ISO 11132:2021 suggests guidelines for evaluating the performance of quantitative descriptive sensory panels, including discrimination, agreement, and repeatability.
Trained sensory panels and consumer sensory panels have their own functions. Trained sensory assessors describe sensory attributes, whereas consumer sensory testing measures responses such as liking, preference, and acceptance in the target population. [3]
Environmental and Standardization Challenges
Temperature, humidity, lighting, noise level in the surroundings, and surrounding odor could all affect perception. For example, poor lighting can affect colour determination, while odour can affect aroma determination.
There are requirements provided by ISO 8589:2007, which offer general instructions on the construction of sensory test rooms. A revised ISO/DIS 8589 is under development in 2026, with the draft having progressed through the DIS stage toward final approval. Published requirements and draft requirements should not be considered the same until the revised standard is published.
The preparation of samples is equally important since different cooking times, temperatures at which the sample is served, portion sizes, holding times, and manner of presentation can produce perceptual differences which have nothing to do with the formulation of the product. Such an aspect is especially true in food formulation scale-up because different processing conditions may influence moisture content, particle size, browning and textural characteristics.
Thus, standardized procedure must include how each sample is prepared, coded, stored, and served. Order of samples must also be randomized or balanced to reduce order and carryover effects.
The number of people involved in the panel will depend on the sensory approach used and on the research objectives, rather than a predetermined headcount. Descriptive panels need people trained to describe sensory attributes, while consumer studies usually need people who are representatives of the target population. [4]
How to Overcome Sensory Evaluation Challenges
Reliable sensory evaluation techniques begin with well-defined research objectives – finding a difference, characterizing attributes, optimizing a formulation or measuring consumer acceptance.
Key practices include:
- Standardize preparation: control formulation, processing, serving temperature, portion size, and holding time.
- Control the environment: minimize variations in light, temperature, noise, and odors.
- Train assessors properly: structured sensory panel training and selection of the right consumers in case of acceptance studies.
- Manage presentation: blind coding and randomized or balanced serving order to reduce bias and order effects.
- Control fatigue: limit session length and provide suitable breaks or palate cleansers.
- Plan sample size and statistics: recruit based on the objective of the study, expected variability and statistical power; analyse results using appropriate methods such as ANOVA or multivariate methods.
Digital data-capturing systems can be helpful in sensory studies in allowing assessor entry of responses and assisting R&D teams in handling large amounts of data in repeat consumer sensory testing. [5]
Role of Sensory Evaluation in New Product Development
Sensory evaluation is a key part of sensory science in NPD, driving decisions from prototype development right through to commercialization.
During the early stages of food formulation, sensory evaluation assists R&D professionals in assessing prototypes and selecting favourable characteristics like sweetness, aroma strength, mouthfeel or crispness. Descriptive sensory analysis can quantify how formulation changes affect these attributes.
While in process development, discrimination techniques like the triangle test help in determining whether any change in ingredients or processes is noticeable. Pre-commercialization, food product sensory testing is useful for benchmarking purposes, whereas sensory profiling can be used to track any changes in flavour or texture during storage.
According to the ISO 13299:2016 standard, sensory profiling is relevant in product development, production standards, shelf-life studies and product comparison between products. This information is useful for food product manufacturing, where sensory drift related to formulation or processing differences is determined before the consumer receives the product.
Sensory evaluation therefore becomes an important part of new product development testing, rather than simply a final-stage quality check. [2]
Conclusion
The challenges in sensory evaluation of food have implications for the accuracy of sensory data due to individual variations, fatigue, environmental issues, and variation in samples. Proper training, standard tests, controlled environment, and statistical analysis contribute towards obtaining more accurate data for food products.
Food Research Lab offers food product development services including formulation, sensory evaluation, optimization of prototype, process development, and product validation. Partner with FRL to turn your food concept into a consistent, market-ready product backed by food science expertise.
Frequently Asked Question
Panelist biases, fatigue, lack of control in testing environment, variation in preparation of samples, carryover effects, and improper study design are some of the common challenges. These factors can affect the reliability of sensory results used in product development.
Panelist bias arises where personal tastes, expectations, product knowledge, and fatigue impact assessment rather than the attribute being assessed. Techniques such as blind coding, assessor training, and panel performance monitoring may be used to overcome the bias.
Standardized light, temperature, sample preparation, and serving will make it easier for sensory scores to be based on product differences rather than external factors. This is essential for reliable and repeatable NPD testing.
Companies can enhance the accuracy of sensory evaluation through determination of research objective, selection of appropriate sensory method, use of trained panels or consumer representation, environmental control, standardizing preparation and correct statistical technique.
Descriptive sensory analysis relies on trained assessors for characterization and quantification of attributes, while consumer sensory tests evaluate liking, preference and acceptance in the target population.
References
- Rodrigues, S.S.Q., Dias, L.G. & Teixeira, A. Emerging Methods for the Evaluation of Sensory Quality of Food: Technology at Service. Curr Food Sci Tech Rep2, 77–90 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43555-024-00019-7
- Koyuncu, G. (2025). Sensory Analysis Methods and Quality Characteristics of Foods. In Food Science and Nutrition. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1012198
- Sokra, I., Somaly, S., & Meta, H. (2026). Sensory evaluation methods in food science: Principles, applications, and recent advances. Journal of Agriculture and Technology, 2(1), 277–286. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18016084
- Prachi, Neelesh Kumar Maurya, (2024), Selection and Performance of Sensory Panelists: A Comprehensive Review of Factors Influencing Sensory Evaluation Outcomes, J. Nutrition and Food Processing, 7(15); https://doi.org/10.31579/2637-8914/278
- Mihafu, F. D., Issa, J. Y., & Kamiyango, M. W. (2020). Implication of Sensory Evaluation and Quality Assessment in Food Product Development: A Review. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.8.3.03
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