Organizing and characterizing the sensory terms used to describe food

• Published in: Journal for the Integrated Study of Dietary Habits Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 69 - 75
• Main Author: Hayakawa, Fumiyo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: THE JAPAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE INTEGRATED STUDY OF DIETARY HABITS 2024; 日本食生活学会
• ISSN: 1346-9770; 1881-2368
• DOI: 10.2740/jisdh.35.2_69

Texture terms such as "firm," "crisp," and "juicy" play an important role in food texture studies, especially in sensory evaluation. A well-organized texture lexicon assists researchers with texture evaluation. Therefore, we developed a texture lexicon consisting of 445 Japanese terms through questionnaires and a literature survey, to provide a reference material for food quality analysis and for communication of quality information. In addition, to obtain basic data for communication with consumers, we clarified consumers' recognition of each term, and further discussed dietary habits and food preferences, etc. behind terminological recognition.　In the field of sensory evaluation research, sensory lexicons have also been developed for individual food items. With a lexicon of food sensory words, sensory evaluation can be designed effectively and efficiently in food research and development. The authors have created sensory lexicons for several foods. This paper presents an example of the development of a sensory lexicon for spaghetti and its application in sensory evaluation, as well as the current work on a sensory vocabulary for rice.