Sensory evaluation in the healthcare industry: a literature review

Abstract

Sensory evaluation includes a wide variety of methods, and each method can range from a few to a large number. These methods can be used in the food and beverage industry, personal care, healthcare, and many other products. The objective is to review studies based on health and wellness of patients, products, and concepts, incorporating product efficacy to acceptability of sensory properties. The methods discussed in this review are discrimination (triangle test and paired-comparison test), descriptive analysis (consensus descriptive analysis and quantitative descriptive analysis), quantitative research (central location tests and home use tests), qualitative research (focus groups and one-on-one interviews) and emotion research (EsSense Profile®, MemVOC and emoSemio).