Abstract
Sensory evaluation is a critical component in the development, refinement, and quality control of consumer products, particularly in food, beverage, cosmetics, and fragrance industries. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of sensory panelist selection criteria and the several factors that influence sensory measurements, aiming to enhance the reliability and validity of sensory data. Panelist selection involves assessing sensory acuity, availability, and reliability, and encompasses a diverse range of panel types, including trained, expert, and consumer panels. Ensuring panelist consistency and sensitivity is crucial for producing reliable results, with factors such as age, health, and cultural background playing a significant role in sensory perception. This review also examines psychological, physiological, and environmental influences on sensory measurements, highlighting the impact of expectations, prior experiences, fatigue, mood, and testing conditions like lighting, temperature, and humidity. Effective selection, training, and control over these variables are essential to achieving high-quality sensory evaluations. The findings underscore the importance of refining sensory evaluation protocols to minimize bias and enhance data accuracy, thereby supporting better-informed product development and consumer satisfaction strategies. Future research should focus on standardizing sensitivity assessment methods and developing strategies to reduce environmental impact on sensory measurements.
Published Version
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