Only the human brain can integrate all the sensations of appearance, aroma, taste, sound and feel which contribute to the flavour of a food
Advantages of Assessment by Humans
- Humans are more sensitive to differences in colour, aroma, flavour and texture than machines. After all final product must be acceptable to humans. When assessing a flavour you are not just evaluating an attribute but need to think about how the attribute affects the whole product.
Disadvantages of Measurement by Humans
- Assessors may differ in the following:
- Sensitivity
- Discrimination
- Descriptive Abilities
- Memory
- Individual assessors will differ from day to day and will be affected by mood, weather, food, drink, health etc. Changes in the testing environment will affect assessors perceptions e.g. temperature, light, odors. There is not a direct relationship between stimulus and response.”