February 22, 2024

The State of Sensory Science

Three seasoned sensory scientists share their thoughts on the complexity of measuring consumer perceptions, the value of academic/industry collaboration, the evolution of the discipline, and why they love what they do.

An Illustration of a Sensory Perception: showing a Five Human Senses: sense of Smell, sense of Taste, sense of Touch, sense of Hearing and sense of Sight.

Kayt Sukel

Food Technology Magazine

Sensory scientists seek to measure, interpret, and understand how humans perceive the world around them—as well as the consumer products within it—through the lens of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. This unique field brings together multiple disciplines, from neurobiology to anthropology, to help us better understand not only what human beings like and dislike, but also how differently we perceive various stimuli. As companies across the globe work to glean reliable, repeatable insights regarding new foods or consumer packaged goods, they rely on sensory and consumer scientists to guide everything from new product development to marketing.

Login or Sign Up To Continue

You’ve hit your limit of free articles. Either sign in to your existing account, or sign up to be an IFT member and get access to hundreds of digital resources and articlers.