How to Make Internal Tastings More Effective & Efficient
Food Sensory Evaluation: The Core of Our Product Development
Food Sensory Evaluation is at the core of our work to develop delicious, clean-label foods for our clients. At CuliNEX, we approach sensory evaluations in many ways depending on the specific project, client, and overall product goals. However, our primary goal remains the same: keeping tastings fast, fun, and easy to deliver quick and actionable feedback.
Fast Sensory Evaluations
To keep our sensory evaluations fast, we make sure to clarify the type of tasting exercise to our internal tasting team. Context is the most important part of any tastings, either formal or informal. Framing the goal of each evaluation provides our team with the feedback needed to push the project forward.
Fun Tasting Panels
When tasting a particular type of product over and over again, we make it fun by providing an enjoyable lunch or snack made with the tasting product. One of our latest projects had us tasting countless waffles, so as a treat for our tasting panel having to diligently sit through an intense tasting, we prepared the team a lunch of fried chicken and waffles!
Easy, Consumer-Centric Evaluations
Often, we have informal tastings with comparative or blind samples, which keeps the tasting simple and direct by asking questions that have focus on a particular attribute, such as sweetness, a particular flavor profile, or texture. Although not always possible, we try to schedule informal tastings when our team is hungry (which is often!) and by presenting samples on plates with silverware instead of in plastic sample cups. We encourage a full eating experience similar to how a consumer would.
When formal sensory analysis is required, our team works diligently to prepare appropriate standardized reference samples, questionnaires, and data analysis tools for our internally trained panel. Ample planning and preparation make these formal tastings much easier for our team. We strive to keep the atmosphere open for conversation, suggestions, opinions, and additions to the reference samples from the test kitchen.
Why Choose CuliNEX for Your Sensory Evaluation Needs?
If you’re seeking food product development services, our expert sensory evaluation process can be tailored to your product, helping it stand out in the market. Let us help you create the next big product!
