Food Flavor Perception as Expressed via Sensory Spectrograph

Abstract

In our previous studies, we examined the relationship between changes in mood, verbal (semantic) behavior, and non-verbal (skin temperature) activity induced by inhalation of essential oil fragrances, as well as linalool and its enantiomers. Sensory evaluation was a key component of these studies. We have found that perceived sensory attributes reported by participants can be represented via sensory spectrograph: A bar graph where the mean of the impression is plotted against descriptors of the setting for the semantic impression. In this paper, we present our latest attempts at assessing the taste of food using a sensory spectrograph. We conducted two studies: One in which participants assessed the taste of cookies with or without bean curd lees and one in which participants evaluated the taste of Miso soup and Sumashi soup as a function of salty concentration and soup stock consistency.