Taste in words, colors and shapes

(DLG). There's no arguing about taste when everyone speaks the same language. Therefore, sensory perceptions have to be translated into a verbal and non-verbal language that serves as a basis for communication for everyone. How this can work in practice was made clear by the Food Day Sensor Technology of the DLG (German Agricultural Society). In Kronberg, Hesse, around 100 experts from the areas of food sensor technology, product development, quality management and marketing discussed the main topic “It's on my tongue”. For the first time, theoretical knowledge could be practically trained in sensory tastings through interactive elements.

In the company, sensory communication, i.e. the exchange of methods, projects or product profiles, has to work across departments so that everyone, from product developers to marketing experts, speaks the same language. Food technician and sensory officer Bettina Krämer (Bodenbach / Eifel) described the fact that the practice looks different. She sees the main problem in the fact that “sensors are often underestimated by other departments”. The inclusion of food sensors in various food standards, such as IFS Food, BRC or ISO 22000, will increase the status in companies. Because it is an integral part of food analysis. This should be used. According to the speaker, an in-house sensor manual that elaborates, defines and references company-specific vocabulary is essential. In this way, sensory perceptions are documented in the form of a “sensory fingerprint” as part of the recipes in a reproducible form. Professional wording implies a corresponding methodology for recording and evaluating objective and subjective sensory data.

Quick methods
In addition to the difference tests, the analytical test procedures also include the descriptive or descriptive sensory tests. According to Dr. Eva Derndorfer, sensory expert, consultant and lecturer from Vienna, who record and measure human perceptions and sensations when consuming food. There is a trend towards rapid methods or short-term procedures in which consumers describe the presented products directly and have to carry out hedonic assessments in the same test, such as B. at CATA (= check all that apply). Quick methods significantly reduce the time and money required for a descriptive panel and are therefore particularly suitable for smaller companies. Although the results are less precise, they are sufficient for many questions. The direct inclusion of the perceptions and preferences of the examining consumers proved to be advantageous, because these findings made information relevant to decision-making available about products and their sensory quality in economic competition. A practical exercise in which all participants were asked to sort dark chocolate according to taste similarity showed that even untrained test persons can be used for similarity methods such as sorting.

Bread is a cult
Jörg Schmid, bread sommelier and managing director of the Schmid bakery in Gomaringen, presented himself as an ambassador of good taste. He illustrated how technical expertise and sensory marketing can be used to successfully address consumers. In order to give bread a new value, the fourth generation of the master baker treads unconventional paths. Not only that he consistently speaks of specialty stores instead of branches and of collections instead of assortments or specialties instead of products. He is also able to translate his enthusiasm for bread into a flowery, sensory language that is in no way inferior to that of wine. The member of the German national bakery team has always been annoyed by the fact that, in contrast to grape juice, bread is only described as “good or tasty” or “as a suitable base”. This is exactly what motivated him to train as a bread sommelier alongside his job. Food pairing is particularly important to the media-savvy Swabian. He knows exactly which flavor profile goes with which type of bread. His customers appreciate this expertise and buy the right wine for bread from him.
 
Sensory wine image
Martin Darting, sommelier trainer IHK, Wachenheim, demonstrated with his "sensory wine pictures" that sensory impressions can also be clearly expressed non-verbally. Every sensation that a certain (wine) ingredient triggers can be assigned a corresponding color and shape combination. When asked: “What color is sweetness?” Most people answer with yellow to red; sour taste is described as yellow to green and bitter tasting substances are described as brown. Sweet taste is described as round or soft and sour taste as pointed or edgy. According to Darting, these associations are experienced very similarly by everyone. They are probably caused by a parallel multiple stimulation of different areas of the brain and provide stereotypical color-shape-taste-smell associations. This similarity in perception serves as the basis for the color and shape design of the sensory wine images. If you systematically assign certain colors and shapes to all gustatory, olfactory and haptic sensations and take their dynamics into account, you get the key to creating a sensory wine image. The method allows a recognition rate of up to 80% even for “wine drinkers” who are not trained in sensory skills. "If someone likes the picture, the wine tastes good too," says Darting, who is therefore happy to invite you to a "vinissage" instead of traditional wine tasting. According to him, the sensory images are also suitable as a wine label. "Because this creates an intuitive and emotional access to the content". Sensory images can also be created of other foods, such as meat and baked goods or edible oils.
 
Prof. Dr. Dipayan Biswas, University of South Florida, illustrated the increasing importance of sensory branding or marketign and multi-sensory product design on the basis of numerous projects. According to him, fragrance marketing has a major influence on the purchase and consumption decisions of consumers in both retail and gastronomy.
 
Presentation of the DLG Sensorik Award
As part of the DLG Sensorik Food Day, the "DLG Sensorik Award 2017" was also presented to Tarek Butt (HAW Hamburg), who dealt with methodical, sensory issues relating to edible oils. With the Sensorik Award, which is given annually, the DLG promotes extraordinary, scientific commitment in the field of food sensor technology. In addition to the scientific quality, Butts research work is characterized by a high, practical benefit for the food industry.

Speakers and moderator of the DLG Food Day Sensorik 2017 (from left to right): Jörg Schmid, Dr. Eva Derndorfer, Bettina Krämer, Prof. Dr. Jörg Meier (moderator), Prof. Dr. Dipayan Biswas.

Source: DLG