Sensory Sessions Research Articles

The Use of Immersive Virtual Reality in Sensory Sessions on a Specialist Dementia Unit: Service Evaluation of Feasibility and Acceptability

This service evaluation reviewed inclusion of Immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) relaxation activities as part of routine occupational therapy sensory sessions on a specialist dementia unit. Twenty-five sessions were completed over 13 wk with 14 participants. Nine participants chose to engage in multiple sessions. Feasibility was assessed through participant engagement and tolerability. Modal first session length was in the range 30 s to 2 min. This increased to over 2 min on second sessions. There was a lack of significant adverse effects measured by direct questioning, neuropsychiatric assessment before vs. after sessions and adverse incident reporting. Acceptability was assessed via structured review of user and staff feedback which noted positive experiences such as relaxation, openness to discussion, reminiscence, wider engagement and interest in future use. Further work is required to explore efficacy and use in other settings.

Instrumental mechanical parameters related to hand-feel touch firmness of blueberries

Hand-feel touch firmness is a sensory method reported to be used by the blueberry industry to characterise individual fruit firmness quality. A ‘soft’ blueberry may be considered unmarketable. However, firmness assessed by a hand touch is questionable due to being highly influenced by the assessor's subjective judgment. Objective instrumental methods are preferred to measure firmness and create a reliable and consistent dataset. This research aimed to study the relationship between sensory hand-feel touch firmness measured by a trained sensory panel and instrumental mechanical parameters of blueberry ‘Centurion’. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to relate instrumental mechanical parameters to hand firmness using a sensory panel setting and reference samples to exemplify hand-feel intensity differences. Seven assessors were trained to evaluate hand touch firmness in a sensory panel setting. References samples resembling a blueberry were made of silicone and used to calibrate assessors’ performance by exemplifying four blueberry firmness scores (‘very soft’, ‘soft’, ‘firm’ and ‘very firm’). Six sensory sessions were conducted, where each session represented a harvest date and storage time combination (3 harvest dates X 2 storage times). Each sensory session considered blueberries exposed to five storage relative humidity (71 %, 88 %, 95 %, 97 % and 100 % RH). As a result, assessors were able to discriminate differences in hand touch firmness as influenced by storage relative humidity (water loss differences). In addition, mechanical parameters measured by the slope of force-deformation curve using a plate probe on a compression test (hardness slope) or a needle probe on a penetration test (skin break slope) were best related to sensory hand-feel firmness. Average hardness slope and skin break slope higher than 1.7 kN m−1 and 0.42 kN m−1, respectively, were associated with a very low (≤5 %) likelihood of observing unmarketable (‘soft’ + ‘very soft’) 'Centurion' blueberries in a batch. Our study provides a basis for the standardisation of mechanical methods that can be used to assess blueberry quality based on its ability to represent consumer sensation preferences of texture.

The stability of self-reported emotional response and liking of beer in context

Collecting emotional response to products has been found to be more discriminating than liking alone, yet emotions are not static and are highly impacted by mood and our environment (or context). Therefore the question rises whether a consumer’s emotional response to a product is consistent within different contexts, both throughout consumption of a product and with repeated exposure.This study investigated 1) the impact of context (bar vs. central location test) and consumed amount (1 sip, half glass and full glass) on consumers emotional response and liking of beer, 2) test–retest reliability per consumed amount in both contexts, 3) repeated exposure across all sensory sessions including dummy session regardless of consumed amount and context. Beer consumers (N = 97) evaluated emotional response and liking to beer (3.5% ABV) after one sip, half a glass (≈142 ml) and a full glass (≈284 ml), using a short self-report questionnaire in a real life context (i.e. Bar) and central location test (CLT). A subset of 62 participants repeated the session in both contexts to determine test–retest reliability with intra-class correlation (ICC). Prior to the test sessions, emotional response and liking were measured for the same beer during a ‘dummy’ session. ANOVA revealed an overall effect of context where the emotions Shocked, Content, Excited, Nostagic, Disgusted and Curious were rated higher in the Bar than in the CLT (p ≤ 0.01). Consumed amount had limited effect on emotional response and liking. Although the effects in this study were modest, they show no adverse effects of conducting consumer testing in realistic environments on the stability of consumer responses. The ICC scores indicated more stable emotion measurements after consuming a full glass of beer compared to half glass and one sip (p < 0.05) regardless of context, suggesting that stability of emotional response to beer may be slightly higher if representative amounts of product are consumed. Content and Excited emotions were rated significantly higher during the first ‘dummy’ session than the last session (5th) but the effects were modest indicating that a dummy session may not need to be considered in future studies.

Coffee Label Assessment Using Sensory and Biometric Analysis of Self-Isolating Panelists through Videoconference

Label concepts, information, logos, figures, and colors of beverages are critical for consumer perception, preference, and purchase intention. This is especially relevant for new beverage products. During social isolation, many sensory laboratories were unable to provide services, making virtual sensory sessions relevant to studying different label concepts and design preferences among consumers. This study proposed a novel virtual sensory system to analyze coffee labels using videoconference, self-reported, and biometric analysis software from video recordings to obtain sensory and emotional responses from 69 participants (power analysis: 1 − β &gt; 0.99) using six different label concepts: (i) fun, (ii) bold, (iii) natural, (iv) everyday, (v) classic, and (vi) premium. The results show that the label concept rated as having the highest perceived quality was premium, presenting significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) compared to all of the other concepts. The least perceived quality score was attributed to the bold concept due to the confronting aroma lexicon (cheese dip), which is supported by previous studies. Furthermore, even though graphics, colors, and the product name can be considered positive attributes, they do not determine perceived quality or purchase intention, which was found for the bold, everyday, and classic concepts. The findings from this study were as expected and are consistent with those from similar publications related to labels, which shows that the proposed virtual method for sensory sessions and biometrics is reliable. Further technology has been proposed to use this system with multiple participants, which could help beverage companies perform virtual sensory analysis of new products’ labels.

An integrative salivary approach regarding palate cleansers in wine tasting.

Wine sensory sessions normally involve the tasting of several samples, to remove food residues from the mouth the use of palate cleansers (PC) is needed. Until now, there is no agreement on the best PC to use during wine tasting sessions. The aim of this work is to study the relationship between the components retained in saliva after wine tasting and the remnant sensory feeling (astringency, alcohol, and acidity). For that, different common PC (water, carbonated water, and milk) were tested and saliva samples (expectorated and scraped) from nine trained panelists were collected after wine with and without PC trials. Results showed that after palate cleansing and not cleansing, astringency, alcoholic and acidity perception were influenced by time, PC and panelist. Astringency perception showed the greatest intensity in comparison to alcoholic and acidity. Milk was the only PC which reduced quantifiable polyphenols in expectorated saliva, as well as reducing astringency feelings. Although compositions of expectorated and scraped saliva correlated between them, polyphenols accumulated in the expectorated saliva significantly more. Retained polyphenols were correlated with astringency perception, but no correlation was found with salivary proteins. These findings assessed the astringency build-up effect during wine tasting due to polyphenols accumulation in saliva, remarking the importance of an adequate PC selection. All things considered, the present work confirmed the relationship between after-swallow mouthfeel perception and mouth residues instrumentally quantified. Also, milk has proven to be the most effective of the three PC. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: During tasting the accumulation of residues from previous wine samples tasted, could mislead the judgment of wine sensory qualities by oenologists. Therefore, between tasting samples it is highly important to choose the right PC. However, until now the selection of PC remains empirical, therefore in this work, we proposed to study the residues in saliva by using different PC and quantifying instrumentally, the wine residues. The methodology selected to quantify the wines residues in saliva was quick and easy to use. Furthermore, instrumental results were related with the sensory feeling of mouth cleanliness without considering individual panel member's preferences of PC. In this study, to remove astringency feeling, milk was shown to be the best cleanser in comparison with water, carbonated water or nothing, but oenologist/winemakers could use this instrumental methodology in saliva to select which one is the best among their current PC used.

Correlation of Chicken Breast (Pectoralis Major) Quality and Sensory Attributes with Chicken Thigh Quality and Sensory Attributes

ObjectivesIn other meat commodities, the relationship between quality and eating experience of different cuts within the same carcass has garnered significant attention. While the poultry industry typically prioritizes lean growth and less information is available about the relationship of quality and sensory attributes of different cuts throughout the carcass, it is imperative to commit research efforts to better understand these relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between chicken breast (pectoralis major) quality and sensory attributes with chicken thigh quality and sensory attributes.Materials and MethodsChickens of 5 different genetic strains were slaughtered at a common ending point at a commercial processing facility in Southern Ontario and chilled using immersion chilling. Fifty whole chicken carcasses were fabricated into a 9-piece fabricated chicken according to North American Meat Institute specifications. The chicken breast portion was further fabricated into a boneless, skinless breast and the chicken thigh portion was further fabricated into a boneless, skinless thigh. Immediately following fabrication, right side breast and thigh samples were assessed for pH, instrumental color (L*, a*, and b* using a Minolta colorimeter), and prepared for a 48-h drip loss evaluation. Sensory attributes (tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and acceptability) using a trained sensory panel and cooking loss were assessed on the breast and thigh samples from the left side of the carcass. The trained sensory panel had a pool of 12 panelists, 4 of which were used for each sensory session. Eight breast or thigh samples were served at each of the 10 sensory sessions. Correlation coefficients between traits were computed using the CORR procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) and considered significantly different from 0 at P < 0.10. Correlations were considered weak (in absolute value) at r ≤ 0.35, correlations were considered moderate at 0.36 ≤ r ≤ 0.67, and correlations were considered strong at r ≥ 0.68.ResultsOnly the parameters with correlation coefficients that were different from 0 (P < 0.10) were reported. Breast pH was weakly correlated (r = 0.25; P = 0.07) with thigh pH, breast color (L*, a*, and b*) was weakly correlated (r ≤ 0.30; P ≥ 0.04) with thigh color, and breast 48-h drip loss was weakly correlated (r = 0.35; P = 0.01) with thigh 48-h drip loss. Breast sensory tenderness was moderately correlated (r = 0.38; P < 0.01) with thigh sensory tenderness, while all other sensory parameters measured between breast and thigh samples were not significantly correlated (P ≥ 0.24). Breast sensory acceptance was strongly correlated with breast sensory juiciness (r = 0.86; P < 0.01) and moderately correlated with breast sensory tenderness (r = 0.53; P < 0.01) and breast sensory flavor (r = 0.66; P < 0.01). Thigh sensory acceptance was strongly correlated with thigh sensory juiciness (r = 0.80; P < 0.01) and moderately correlated with thigh sensory tenderness (r = 0.52; P < 0.01) and thigh sensory flavor (r = 0.62; P < 0.01).ConclusionBreast quality and sensory attributes were generally weakly correlated with thigh quality and sensory attributes. Further investigation into factors affecting breast and thigh quality parameters (pH, color, drip loss, and cooking loss) and their effect on sensory attributes are warranted.

Determining the optimum firmness for sweet cherries using Just-About-Right sensory methodology

This study evaluated Just-About-Right (JAR) ratings of untrained panellists for whole sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) crispness and flesh firmness. Cherries from 17 different cultivars and breeding selections representing a wide range of fruit firmness were harvested over the course of the cherry maturity season in 2011 and 2012. The firmness of each cherry (n=183–500 per sample) was measured with the FirmTech 2 Fruit Firmness Tester, and the fruits were sorted into 19 firmness categories, of 0.20N increments, ranging from 1.58 to 5.69N. Untrained panellists (n=48) assessed whole cherry crispness and flesh firmness using a 7-point JAR scale from ‘much too soft’, through ‘just about right’, to ‘much too firm/crisp’. Four to eight firmness categories were evaluated per session in a series of 10 sensory sessions. Linear regression was used to model the relationship between JAR ratings and analytical firmness values, for whole cherry crispness (r2011−122=0.75) and flesh firmness (r2011−122=0.75). Crispness and firmness were highly correlated in both years (R2011=0.99, R2012=0.99). Frequency distributions of JAR ratings identified the proportion of responses at each rating (1–7), within each firmness category. The “acceptable” firmness range was calculated to be 2.52–4.75N from JAR flesh firmness scores of between 3 (‘slightly too soft’) and 5 (‘slightly too firm’), respectively. Cherries with measured firmness values between 2.56 and 4.71N were “acceptable” to 72.9–91.7% of panellists. The work established the relationship between sensory and analytical evaluations in order to develop guidelines for acceptable sweet cherry fruit firmness to use in research on cultural practices and the selection of new cultivars.

Joint music therapy and occupational therapy sensory sessions with “Fran”: “Sensing the seasons”

PurposeThis article aims to describe a joint collaboration between an occupational therapist and music therapist at the Royal Hospital for Neuro‐disability in Putney, London, UK. It outlines a series of sessions with a patient with hypoxic brain injury who was referred to the neuro‐behavioural unit for rehabilitation.Design/methodology/approachThe joint work commenced due to a realisation that this particular patient responded well to sensory input and the music and occupational therapist wanted to offer the opportunity to explore this intervention further within a different framework of joint sessions. The article provides an overview of this input, which involved bi‐monthly hour long sessions exploring responses to and engagement with various stimuli within a frame of music, poems and storyline along the themes of the seasons. This ran in conjunction with other rehabilitation sessions on the unit.FindingsThe authors found that the patient responded to this format with the focus being on the creative framework and the interaction between the therapists and minimal pressure to achieve tasks. Of course there were still clear clinical goals and there was participation from the patient in order to improve functional abilities.Originality/valueThe overriding improvements in the patient from using this therapy approach were an increase in concentration span and attention and reduction in vocal distress and behavioural agitation. The authors surmise that there is a place for a package of sensorial input with suggestions for implementation which could be used for other patients in neuro‐rehabilitation in this setting or elsewhere.

EXPECTATIVAS GERADAS PELA MARCA SOBRE A ACEITABILIDADE DE CERVEJA: ESTUDO DA INTERAÇÃO ENTRE CARACTERÍSTICAS NÃO SENSORIAIS E O COMPORTAMENTO DO CONSUMIDOR

Tendo em vista a importante interação entre características extrínsecas ao alimento (marca, embalagem e outras informações) e o comportamento do consumidor, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência da marca na aceitação de amostras de cerveja. Para tanto, foram empregadas duas técnicas de análise de dados: a estatística descritiva e o teste t para amostras pareadas. Oito marcas comerciais de cerveja Pilsen foram avaliadas por 101 consumidores em três sessões de testes de aceitação: teste-cego, teste da embalagem e teste com informação da marca. Os resultados apresentados de maneira descritiva permitiram concluir que houve variação substancial da aceitação das amostras nas três sessões. As marcas B, C e D influenciaram de maneira positiva a aceitação do consumidor, enquanto as demais exerceram impacto negativo na aceitação das amostras, ainda que em diferentes proporções. Por meio do teste t verificou-se que para as cervejas B, C e D houve desconfirmação negativa da expectativa gerada pela embalagem, indicando que a qualidade sensorial foi inferior ao esperado. Para a marca H, a desconfirmação foi positiva, evidenciando que os consumidores gostaram sensorialmente da cerveja, apesar de terem desgostado da sua embalagem. Para a cerveja E houve indícios de que atributos adversos à marca causaram aumento da sua aceitação. A marca gerou impacto negativo na avaliação das amostras A, F e G. Houve, portanto, influência da marca sobre a resposta do consumidor. Isto evidencia que as características extrínsecas ou não sensoriais do alimento desempenham papel fundamental na sua escolha, podendo sobrepujar algumas vezes suas características sensoriais.

Sensory Screening for Large-Format Natural Corks by “Dry Soak” Testing and Its Correlation to Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) Releasable Trichloroanisole (TCA) Analysis

Large-format natural corks were individually screened for trichloroanisole (TCA) taint and other non-characteristic cork odors by smelling the high relative humidity headspace of the jarred closure during expert panel sensory sessions. The method was coined "dry soak sensory screening". Out of a population of 2296 corks, 138 specimens [6% of the total population (TP)] were retained because of unusual odors, ranging from mild to severe. All retained corks were analyzed for releasable TCA (RTCA) by the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) technique. Results indicated that 30 corks (1.3% TP) had concentrations between 1.0 and 5.0 ppt. Most of these corks had non-typical TCA odors described as ashtray, musty, moldy, dirty, and wet cardboard. A total of 13 retained corks (0.57% TP) had RTCA values higher than 5.0 ppt, mostly displaying the typical TCA odor. Dry soak screening has been determined to be a clean, fast, and most importantly, a nondestructive method ideal for screening large-format natural corks with off odors.

Effect of 1-methylcyclopropene on the sensory, visual, and analytical quality of greenhouse tomatoes

Sensory and analytical quality parameters were measured to evaluate the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on hothouse tomatoes ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Rapsodie). Commercially grown tomatoes, harvested at the ‘pink’ maturity stage, were treated with 250 nL L −1 1-MCP for 8 h at 15 °C and held at 15 °C for a minimum of 5 d, prior to ripening at 22 °C for 5–8 d. This regime simulated storage conditions used by distributors, retailers, and consumers. Fruit quality parameters [color ( L, a, b), weight, soluble solids, titratable acidity [H +], pH, expressed juice and tomato color index (TCI)] were determined. Sensory analysis was conducted to evaluate perceived flavor (aroma/taste), texture and visual attributes over the ripening period. Treated and untreated fruit were compared for intensity of aroma/flavor (vegetative aroma, ripe tomato aroma, tomato flavor and sourness), texture (firmness, mealiness) and visual attributes [external color (redness, greenness), internal color (redness, greenness), gel color (redness, greenness), juice color (redness, greenness), seed size] by eight judges in duplicate, in five sensory sessions. Statistical contrasts were used to determine differences between 1-MCP treated and untreated fruit, as well as between ‘ripe’ and ‘advanced maturity’ 1-MCP fruit. The 1-MCP treated fruit differed from the control fruit in textural and visual attributes, but not in flavor attributes. Treated fruit had a reduced red color, less red gel color, smaller seed size and greater mealiness. These changes were reflected by concomitant changes in pH, L, b and TCI values. Mealiness was positively correlated ( r = 0.824, p < 0.01) with TCI for 1-MCP treated fruit, suggesting that 1-MCP influenced cell wall integrity during the delayed maturation process. However, it was unknown if this textural changes would be large enough to influence consumer acceptability of the fruit, and warrants further investigation.

Perceptual Interactions between Characteristic Notes Smelled above Aqueous Solutions of Odorant Mixtures

Twenty-two experienced panelists rated odor intensity of aqueous solutions of citral, octen-1-ol-3, and hexanal. The panel assessed unmixed components and mixtures (9 binary and 4 ternary). In sensory sessions dedicated to mixtures (n = 6), evaluation was focused on one target odor, presented at a fixed concentration. All components had lower odor intensity on mixed presentations. In many cases, information obtained from simpler systems was not extended to complex mixtures. In a mixture, the competition between odorant molecules on qualitative aspects (dominance/suppression) imbalanced components contribution, anticipated from the quantitative distribution. Hexanal appeared to be the potentially weaker odorant in paired combinations, whereas octen-1-ol-3 had a lower relative impact on ternary systems. Suppression of the odor of octen-1-ol-3 and a concomitant increase in the odor of hexanal was common to all ternary mixtures. Reciprocal inhibition of octen-1-ol-3 and citral odors through perceptual interactions was suspected. Mutual suppression is suspected to have eased the perception of hexanal intensity.

USING THE INTERNET FOR DESCRIPTIVE SENSORY ANALYSIS: FORMATION, TRAINING AND FOLLOW‐UP OF A TASTE‐TEST PANEL OVER THE WEB

ABSTRACT A remote descriptive analysis panel was formed and trained over the Internet. This article outlines the steps involved in this method: (1) creation of Web sensory sessions; (2) recruitment and selection of assessors; (3) generation of descriptors; (4) training using generated descriptors; and (5) check‐up sessions. A reference panel was formed and trained conventionally: it aimed, on the one hand, at providing the necessary reference points for training the Internet panel and on the other hand, at validating the proposed method by the comparison of the results assessed on the same product by both panels. We applied our methodology to a dry sausage. Sixteen assessors carried out the complete training on 10 descriptors during 10 sessions. The results of the analysis of variance with (panel–product) interactions considering each attribute separately showed that product classification is the same for the two panels on the basis of seven descriptors out of 10. The results concerned with the performance of individual assessors showed that training duration seemed to be the most important feature in determining the level of performance of assessors remotely trained over the Internet.