Use of Sensory Analysis Methods to Evaluate the Odor of Food and Outside Air

Abstract

Sensory analysis is applied in many areas of daily life. It is used to carry out the sensory evaluation of foodstuffs or other products and to evaluate the properties of odors present in the environment. The authors attempt to summarize the knowledge on the classification and application of sensory analysis methods to evaluate the odor nuisance of air, which allows the identification of sensory impressions and determination of their intensity levels. This article also presents a short history of sensory analysis and describes the chemometric techniques used for data processing. The main attention is focused on detailed description and comparison of sensory analysis methods: differential methods, scaling methods, differential settings methods, and descriptive analysis methods.

KEY WORDS:

• sensory analysis
• odor nuisance
• differential methods
• scaling methods
• differential settings methods
• descriptive analysis methods
• chemometry