Long before the marketing team gets presented with a product and long before "taste testers" are needed, Sensory Analysts have had a hand in creating our products.

... is almost unheard of by the general public but is used by every product manufacturer of note that wishes to gain market share in the consumer market. The expertise is also used by governmental entities, research laboratories, and universities in urbanized as well as developing countries. You won’t find the title of Sensory Analyst in any job profile test and you won’t find many Human Resource professionals who even understand what it is.

Wikipedia defines the most simplistic terms of sensory analysis and sensory evaluation as “a scientific discipline that applies principles of experimental design and statistics to the use of human senses (sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing) for the purposes of evaluating consumer products. The discipline requires panels of human assessors, on whom the products are tested, and recording the responses made by them. By applying statistical techniques to the results it is possible to make inferences and insights about the products under test.”

To further breakdown the business of Consumer Sensory Analysis, Wikipedia goes on to explain that there are basically three parts to sensory analysis which include “Effective testing (dealing with objective facts about products), Affective testing (dealing with subjective facts such as preferences) and Perception (the biochemical and psychological aspects of sensation)

The history of sensory analysis goes back at least 100 years but hit it's prominence during the 1940's. The absolute best article available for a novice to understand this field of study was published in 2005 by Kansas State University. You will find it on the KSU website and is titled "KSU Researchers find the best words" . Making better products that are more acceptable to consumers is really the bottom line.

To be a Sensory Analyst takes a dedicated person who is focused and adept at many subjects. The sensory analyst professional must have acumen for science, math, psychology and people. They must be able to think critically and creatively, analyze data and want to learn to understand reactions of humankind.

Kansas State University/Department of Human Ecology houses one of the top three Sensory Analysis centers in the world and is headed by two of the most sought after leaders in the industry.  Dr. Edgar Chambers IV and Dr. Delores Chambers are considered top in their field of study and are often called upon by industries and educational centers around the world to train, to speak, to evaluate and to advise governmental agencies, product developers and schools who need expertise in this area. Although they travel an enormous amount of time, they still provide the leadership and direction in general classroom environments to train their successors. When asked about their mentors in this field, Dr. Edgar Chambers said that he had met Dr. Jean Caul, a pioneer in the field, during his undergraduate studies at the University of Tennesseee and never looked back - he knew it was the career he wanted to pursue. Some of the courses included in the training at KSU in this discipline are:

• Sensory Analysis of Foods: Sensory analysis of appearance, texture, flavor; physiology of sensory receptors; application of laboratory and consumer panels; and interpretation of data.
• Descriptive Sensory Analysis: Emphasis on flavor and texture profiling and their adaptation to other hybrid descriptive techniques for use with foods and other consumer products. Special emphasis is given to "hands-on" experience in panel leadership.
• Consumer Response Evaluation: Use of consumers to provide qualitative and quantitative affective information for use in product development, quality assurance and production.
• Practicum in Sensory Analysis: Individual experiences applying sensory testing.

You will become an expert with discrimination testing, descriptive profiling, how to train panels of accessors as well as a myriad of relevant scientific and mathmatical applications for today’s world. To enter the program, you will need an undergraduate degreee but your studies may have been in a host of programs including psychology, human sciences, human services, human nutrition, nursing and so much more. The field certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is definitely a profession that will keep abreast of wherever the global world and the global economy turns in the future. While food is today’s most often sought area of expertise, certainly the industries of fabric, auto makers, packaging, personal care and the like expend a vast amount of resources in the area of Sensory Analysis as well…and the list goes on.

If you’re looking for a dynamic, vibrant, career that doesn’t keep you locked in a laboratory or classroom all day, the field of Sensory Analysis may just be the career for you.