NEED A JOB?
HOW ABOUT BEING A ‘SUPER TASTER’?
With more and more
30 NOVEMBER 2018
food and drink
options available,
today’s consumer
has the luxury to pick and choose
as they please. To stand out as
different, sensory perceptions
could play a big role, increasing the
likelihood of a consumer choosing
a manufacturer’s offering. Does it
feel indulgent? Are there feel-good
sensations I want? I love how sugar
tastes, but not sugar itself — is
there a better choice for me?
What it all boils down to is that
manufacturers can uncover greater
opportunities for themselves by
appealing to people’s senses. The
challenge, however, lies in not only
knowing what appeals, but also in
knowing how to develop formulations
accordingly…especially since
consumers may express sensory
preferences differently.
To help manufacturers address
consumer preferences, Ingredion
has established innovation and sensory
capabilities in the Asia Pacific
region (APAC) with expert sensory
panels at its Idea Labs innovation
centres in Singapore and China.
The trained panel of experts are individuals
who belong to a category
of people known as ‘super-tasters’
— people that are more sensitive to
tastes than average.
These super-tasters undergo thorough
training on sensory attribute
definitions and evaluation methods,
all of which are anchored by fixed
references to ensure they are able
to provide objective sensory data.
This way, Ingredion helps bridge
the gap between subjective consumer
preferences and objective
perceptions.
These trained panels help food and
beverage manufacturers achieve
the target textures and much of
our work in developing products is
driven by data…our panellists are
like ‘human machines’ in helping us
to really understand how different
products perform along the eating
experience. Leveraging their expert
analysis, we are able to precisely
identify which aspects of a formulation
contribute best to the final
targeted result.
None of this is left to chance.
The panels conduct evaluations
in temperature-, humidity- and
pressure-controlled booths,
complete with coloured lights
to disguise colour variations that
could bias flavour perceptions. On
top of accurate profiling of sensory
attributes, the trained panels
even evaluate how the sensory
perception in foods and beverages
changes during the eating experience…
for example, using temporal
perception — time intensity and
temporal dominance of sensation.
This enables them to help manufactures
create complex sensory
perceptions in a product over time,
such as ‘lingering’, ‘refreshing’ and
‘smooth finishing’.
Ingredion uses a proprietary DIALIN
Technology process and sensory
languages to guide formulation
solutions. With consumer studies
conducted to fully understand the
preferences and terms used by
consumers in the APAC region,
the TEXICON texture language is
used to translate consumer terms
such as ‘creamy’ and ‘luscious’ into
objective terms that can be rated
for intensity, such as ‘thickness’,
‘heaviness,’ ‘slipperiness’ and
‘meltaway’, amongst others. For
sweetness, Ingredion deploys
its SWEETABULARY sweetness
language to connect the consumer
experience of sweetness with taste
and aromatic attributes.
These professional sensory
language tools for texture and
sweetness, together with its
trained panels specialising in
texture and sweetener technical
capabilities, form the core of how
Ingredion helps manufactures
home in on market opportunities.
The DIAL-IN technology process
leverages these sensory targets
and incorporates them with product
goals and a comprehensive view of
product development requirements
to formulate solutions for manufacturers
— accurately shaping any
dimension of the sensory experience
to deliver the attributes key to
driving consumer choice and repeat
purchase…often, with minimal – if
any – additional outlay required for
production, which minimises cost
concerns and speeds up the development
process.
The expert insights and sensory
information Ingredion curates to arrive
at recommended solutions are
a powerful way for manufacturers
to fast-track innovations and land
in consumers’ carts. Whether it’s
matching a benchmark sensory profile,
building back texture or sweetness
when ingredients are removed
or added, or creating a signature
eating or drinking experience.
I N G R E D I E N T S
The way to the consumer’s cart is through their senses,
says sensory manager at Ingredion Singapore Chloe Gao,
and that’s where ‘super taster’ expert panels come in.