Sensory and Consumer Research in Food Product Design and Development

During the past thirty years, companies have recognized theconsumer as the key driver for business and product success. Thisrecognition has, in turn, generated its own drivers: sensoryanalysis and marketing research, leading first to a culturepromoting the expert and then evolving into the systematicacquisition of consumer–relevant information to build businesses. Sensory and Consumer Research in Food Product Design andDevelopment is the first book to present, from the businessviewpoint, the critical issues faced by business leaders from boththe research development and business development perspective.

This popular volume, now in an updated and expanded secondedition, presents a unique perspective afforded by the author teamof Moskowitz, Beckley, and Resurreccion: three leadingpractitioners in the field who each possess both academic andbusiness acumen. Newcomers to the field will be introduced tosystematic experimentation at the very early stages, to newlyemerging methods for data acquisition/knowledge development, and topoints of view employed by successful food and beverage companies.The advanced reader will find new ideas, backed up by illustrativecase histories, to provide another perspective on commonlyencountered problems and their practical solutions.

This book is aimed at professionals in all sectors of the foodand beverage industry. Sensory and Consumer Research in FoodProduct Design and Development is especially important forthose business and research professionals involved in the earlystages of product development, where business opportunity is oftenthe greatest.

Preface ix

Author biographies xi

Acknowledgments xv

1 Emerging corporate knowledge needs: how and where does sensoryfit? 1

2 Making use of existing knowledge and increasing its businessvalue the forgotten productivity tool 17

3 Understanding consumers and customers needs the growth engine 41

4 Innovation′s friend: integrated market and sensory input forfood product design and development 83

5 A process to bring consumer mind–sets into a corporation115

6 Developing relevant concepts 135

7 High–level product assessments 167

8 So what can sensory do for me (or for my company)? 207

9 What types of tests do sensory researchers do to measuresensory response to the product? and . . . why do they dothem? 229

10 What can sensory researchers do to characterize products? and. . . how does one select the best method? 283

11 So what are the practical considerations in actually runninga test? what do I need to know? what does the rest of thecompany need to know? 321

12 Evolving sensory research 365

13 Addressable MindsTM and directed innovation: new vistas forthe sensory community 381

Index 409

Howard R. Moskowitz, Ph.D., is president and CEO ofMoskowitz Jacobs Inc., White Plains, NY, a firm he founded in 1981.Moskowitz is a well–known experimental psychologist in the field ofpsychophysics (the study of perception and its relation to physicalstimuli) and an inventor of world–class market research technology.Among his important contributions to market research is his 1975introduction of psychophysical scaling and product optimization forconsumer product development. A member of the Institute of FoodTechnologists and numerous other professional societies, he haswritten/edited 16 books, published well over 300 articles, andserves on the editorial board of major journals. With colleagueE.P. Koster, Moskowitz co–founded the journal Chemical Sensesand Flavor, now called Chemical Senses, the leadingjournal in the field.

Jacqueline H. Beckley, M.B.A., is the founder of TheUnderstanding & Insight Group, LLC, Denville, NJ, an innovativebusiness development and strategy firm working with both large andsmall companies to integrate traditional approaches with newconcepts and tools for business growth. Previously, Beckley heldpositions within industry and consulting, including director ofconsumer perception at Nabisco, Inc., group manager of sensoryresearch and R&D for the Quaker Oats Company, and researchscientist for Amoco Chemical Company.

Anna V.A. Resurreccion, Ph.D., is a professor of foodscience and technology at the University of Georgia. She haspublished 128 refereed journal articles reporting her research onsensory evaluation, consumer acceptance, and food qualityevaluation. Resurreccion is a fellow of the Institute of FoodTechnologists and serves on editorial boards for the Journal ofSensory Studies and major journals. Previously, she wasassociate scientific editor for the Journal of Food Scienceand chair of the Product Development Division of the Institute ofFood Technologists.

This book is aimed at professionals in all sectors of thefood and beverage industry and is especially important for thosebusiness and research professionals involved in the early stages ofproduct development, where business opportunity is often thegreatest.   (South African Food Science andTechnology, 1 August 2012)