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Travel Log #2 |
| ANALYTICAL SERVICES, CONSULTING & SUPPLIES FOR THE WINE INDUSTRY | |
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6th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium
-Sue Langstaff, Vinquiry Sensory Scientist (suel@vinquiry.com)
The 6th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium was held in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK during the second week of August, 2005. This symposium honors the contributions of Rose Marie Pangborn, a former professor at the University of California, Davis, to the field of sensory science.
Approximately 780 delegates from around the world attended the
proceedings. There were 58 oral presentations in 7 sessions: sensory
research, choice and expectations, new developments in sensory and consumer
science, sensometrics, sensory analysis and market research, non-food
applications of sensory and consumer research, and sensory issues and
health. While most of the presentations focused on food, there were several
in which wine was the medium.
Becky Bleibaum from Tragon Corporation presented the results of a study that was undertaken with the Australian Wine Research Institute to measure consumer awareness and relative importance of the natural cork closure in relation to wine purchase intent. Three closure types - natural cork, synthetic cork and screwcap - were studied. The results of the study indicate that the use of alternative closures impacts the consumer's perception of how and when they would purchase wines at different price points; there were also cross-cultural differences.
Panelist motivation was studied by Cynthia Lund of the Horticultural and Food Research Institute of New Zealand. In a study with experienced and inexperienced wine judges, panelists were subjected to briefings prior to the test. In the "motivating" briefing, the panel leader informed panelists that the work would be "extremely easy and they had been performing well" whereas in the "de-motivating" briefing they were told that the work would be "extremely difficult and that they needed to focus more on the task." Newer panelists did worse on the test after the de-motivating briefing. However, more experienced panelists performed better or the same after the de-motivating briefing. She concluded that some panelists may improve if they are challenged but only if they have experience being a successful panelist. Tasting needs to be within their physiological ability, otherwise their confidence will be detrimentally affected.
A very interesting presentation on the application of
temporal dominance of sensations to taste and flavor in wine was made by a
fellow from the Universita degli Studi di Foggia in Italy. Currently, there
is no well-established method for the simultaneous recording of the
evolution of tastes and flavors as they evolve in a wine. The technique of
Time Intensity (TI) measures one attribute at a time and neglects the
multidimensional aspect of temporality, which is when and for how long a
given sensation is dominant over the others. The Temporal Dominance of
Sensations (TDS) technique allows the panelist to view the entire set of
sensations on a computer screen. The panelist puts the wine in his mouth and
considers which sensation is perceived as dominant and scores its intensity.
This process is repeated until each perception ends. The temporal curves of
each sensation are then superimposed, giving a sequence of the dominant
attributes. In one study, a base wine was treated with four different
flavors and the TDS technique was used to profile the wines. Wines spiked
with fruit flavors had "white fruit" as the first attribute to appear in the
mouth and this was also the most dominant sensation. Similarly, oak aged
wine showed an elevation of woody flavor in the mouth but this attribute
was perceived after fruit and floral sensations.
All in all, the symposium was a nice forum for meeting other sensory scientists from around the world and sharing experiences. Vinquiry is committed to bringing the latest developments in the field of analytical sensory evaluation to the wine industry.
