A 100-Year Review: Sensory analysis of milk

• Published in: Journal of dairy science Vol. 100; no. 12; pp. 9966 - 9986
• Main Authors: Schiano, A.N., Harwood, W.S., Drake, M.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2017
• Subjects: Animals; flavor; fluid milk; Food Analysis - history; Food Analysis - methods; Food Quality; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Milk - chemistry; Milk - history; sensory analysis; Taste; United States; flavor; fluid milk; sensory analysis
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2017-13031

Evaluation of the sensory characteristics of food products has been, and will continue to be, the ultimate method for evaluating product quality. Sensory quality is a parameter that can be evaluated only by humans and consists of a series of tests or tools that can be applied objectively or subjectively within the constructs of carefully selected testing procedures and parameters. Depending on the chosen test, evaluators are able to probe areas of interest that are intrinsic product attributes (e.g., flavor profiles and off-flavors) as well as extrinsic measures (e.g., market penetration and consumer perception). This review outlines the literature pertaining to relevant testing procedures and studies of the history of sensory analysis of fluid milk. In addition, evaluation methods outside of traditional sensory techniques and future outlooks on the subject of sensory analysis of fluid milk are explored and presented.