1. Food Choices and Sensory Characteristics
Chapter 1

2. Questions to Ponder Food Choices Sensory Characteristics
Why do we eat what we eat?
How many factors can you identify?
Sensory Characteristics
How do our sensory perceptions influence what we eat?
How are the sensory characteristics of food measured?

3. Factors Affecting Patterns of Eating
Family and Social
Cultural
Religious Beliefs
Nutrition and Health
Economic and Marketplace Factors
Technological Development
Emotional and Psychological Effects

4. Family and Social Parents and caregivers influence children
Peers and friends
Daycare and workplace interactions
Media
Movies, Television, Internet, and more
Time
“Eating on the run” or “Eating fast”
Societal changes with regard to time to eat?

5. Cultural What foods are typical in particular regions of
United States
Other Countries
Affect of following on food choices?
Global economy
Travel
Greater diversity in our communities
Terms to know
Culture
Acculturation
Ethnic
Cuisine
Demographic

6. Religious Beliefs Christian Judaism Islam Hinduism
Vegetarianism and Religious Beliefs

7. Nutrition and Health How may “health” influence our food choices?
Sources of Guidance
2005 Dietary Guidelines
2005 Food Guide Pyramid
Food Facts Labels

8. Economic and Marketplace Factors
Food availability in local area
Local food
Imported
Economics
Low income families
Spend 48 % of income on food
High income families
Spend 8 % of income on food
Food Insecurity

9. Technological Development
Processing
Irradiation
Aseptic packing
Biotechnology
Technology in the home
Refrigeration
Freezers
Microwaves
Other?

10. Emotional and Psychological Effects
Food associated with
Security
Memories
Hospitality
Caring

11. Sensory Characteristics
Appearance
Taste
Odor
Flavor
Texture
Sound

12. Appearance The first impression Does it look good? Consider Color Form
Consistency
Size
Design

13. Taste Taste – one part of flavor Taste – sensations from taste buds
Five tastes
Sweet – Hydrocyl (-OH) group
Sour – Hydrogen ions (H +) found in acids
Bitter – such as caffeine and theobromine
Salty – Ions of salts
Umami or savory – amino acid based
Influence of temperature on taste

14. Odor Aroma Olfactory Center Sense of smell
10,000 times more sensitive than taste

15. Flavor Flavor – blending of taste and odor An integrated response
Olfactory center
Taste buds on tongue
Tactile receptors in mouth
Flavor analysis
Impact of heat on flavor development
Natural flavors
Artificial or synthetic flavors

16. Texture and Sound Texture Sound
Qualities felt by tongue, palate, teeth, or fingers
Smoothness, stickiness, graininess, lumpy
Sound
What are sounds associate with certain foods?
Carbonated beverage? Popcorn? Carrots?
Crunchy Breakfast Cereal?

17. Sensory Analysis To judge or evaluate food by senses Taste Smell Sight
Touch
Hearing

18. Sensory Evaluation of Food
Trained sensory panels
Consumer panels
Hedonic Scales

19. Objective Evaluation of Food
Laboratory Instruments
Viscosity (thickness of consistency)
Firmness of gel
Color
Compressibility (bread for example)
Shear (tenderness of meat)