What It's Like To Be Paid To Taste Food

Summary

Sensory Evaluators, like Gail Vance Civille, are experts in analyzing food and products for their sensory attributes. Trained for over 100 hours, they assess items from toilet paper to cheese, focusing on texture, flavor, and fragrance. Their role is crucial in product development, ensuring ingredient substitutions maintain the desired sensory qualities. Civille's expertise extends to cheese, where she can identify various notes like milky, nutty, and even fecal, which is characteristic of certain farmhouse cheddar cheeses. The training of panelists involves exposure to different flavor levels, enabling them to accurately rate products. This profession has made them more discerning consumers, affecting their daily lives and dining experiences.

Takeaways

• 👩‍🔬 Sensory Evaluators, also known as taste testers, are professionals who evaluate the sensory properties of products such as texture, flavor, and fragrance.
• 📚 Gail Vance Civille, the founder of Sensory Spectrum, has over 50 years of experience in the sensory evaluation field.
• 🕒 These evaluators undergo extensive training, exceeding 100 hours, to hone their skills in sensory analysis.
• 🧀 They test a wide range of products, from food items like cheese to non-food items such as toilet paper.
• 🔍 Their role is crucial in product development, helping to ensure that ingredient substitutions maintain the product's sensory qualities.
• 🍽️ An example given is Kraft Mac & Cheese, where sensory evaluators ensured the flavor remained consistent after switching to all-natural ingredients.
• 📊 Evaluators work with product developers to determine if a new or altered product meets the desired sensory standards.
• 🧂 The script describes the complex flavor profile of cheddar cheese, including notes of milk, milk fat, and even fecal, which is characteristic of certain farmhouse cheddars.
• 📖 Gail has authored a book containing a comprehensive list of terms to describe different food attributes, aiding in the precise communication of sensory experiences.
• 🍲 During evaluations, panelists taste samples and rate attributes like bitterness on a scale, using a standardized language learned during training.
• 🤔 The training has a profound impact on evaluators' daily lives, making them more discerning consumers and sometimes affecting their enjoyment of everyday experiences.

Q & A

What is a Sensory Evaluator?

A Sensory Evaluator, also known as a taste tester, is a professional trained to evaluate the texture, flavor, or fragrance of a product. They assess various products, from toilet paper to food items like chocolate and cheese, to provide feedback to product developers.

How long is the training for Sensory Evaluators?

Sensory Evaluators undergo extensive training for over 100 hours to become proficient in their role.

What is the purpose of sensory evaluation in product development?

Sensory evaluation helps product developers to determine if changes to a product, such as ingredient substitutions, have maintained the desired sensory properties like appearance, flavor, and texture.

Can you provide an example of a product change that required sensory evaluation?

An example is Kraft Mac & Cheese, which changed to all natural ingredients without preservatives or artificial dyes while maintaining the same flavor, thanks to the work of sensory evaluators.

How do sensory evaluators describe the taste of cheese?

Sensory evaluators describe cheese by its dairy origin (sheep, cow, or goat), milk and milk-fat notes, fermented notes, and additional characteristics like nutty, skunky, fecal, fruity, salty, sweet, sour, and bitter flavors, as well as textures like hardness, melt, chewiness, and cohesiveness.

What is the role of a sensory panel in evaluating a product?

A sensory panel consists of trained panelists who taste a product, such as pasta sauce, and evaluate its flavor, texture, and smell. They rate each attribute on a scale to provide quantitative feedback.

How do panelists learn to identify different levels of flavor?

During training, panelists are exposed to various levels of flavors, such as different salt concentrations, to learn and recognize them until it becomes second nature.

What is the ideal mindset for a great panelist according to Gail Vance Civille?

The ideal mindset for a great panelist, as described by Gail Vance Civille, is to not overthink the process but to let the sample 'tell them about itself', similar to a hockey goalie instinctively catching a puck.

How does the training of sensory evaluators affect their daily lives?

The training can make sensory evaluators more discerning consumers, potentially leading to being very picky about what they eat, and sensitive to factors like fragrances in public places.

Who wrote the book of terms to describe different foods?

Gail Vance Civille, the founder of Sensory Spectrum, wrote the book containing terms to describe different foods, which is used by sensory evaluators during their evaluations.

What are some of the terms used by sensory evaluators to describe flavors?

Sensory evaluators use terms like 'brassy', 'mineral flinty', 'sweet and sour', 'milky notes', 'nutty notes', and 'skunky notes' to describe various flavors.