Sensory Enablement Services

What is sensory science?

Sensory science describes, determines, analyzes, qualifies, quantifies and interprets the sensory characteristics of products and their ingredients using the human senses as an analytical measurement tool.

Traditionally, sensory evaluation has focused on food products. But also luxury goods like tobaccos, cosmetics such as creams, household goods like fabric softeners, as well as more atypical products like textiles or jigsaw puzzles can be sensory evaluated and tested. Basically, all products that can be "experienced" in some way can be considered.

Roughly speaking, sensory testing is either used to assess how an expert perceives a product or to assess how a consumer evaluates a product.

Why is it useful for you to know about sensory science?

Sensory knowledge helps not only in market research, but also in quality control, product development and marketing.

For example: How can we improve our product to be more competitive?

Supporting new product development (e.g. comparing prototypes with benchmarks)
Targeted improvement of existing products
Understanding the influence of parameters (raw materials, processes, packaging...) on the sensory properties of products
Objective sensory characterization of products

For example: which products do consumers like the most?

Product category mapping
Sensory decoding & understanding of product categories: which sensory product attributes influence consumer liking (positive / negative drivers of liking)
Use sensory data as the basis for sensory claims (“now tastes even more fruity”)

For example:Is there a difference when we change the supplier of our skim milk powder?

Compliance with sensory specifications
Determine shelf life through storage studies
Track sensory changes due to recipe changes, supplier changes, manufacturing process changes, etc.

Depending on your question, there are different tools you can use to find your answer. These may include difference tests, descriptive analysis, or affective product testing.

Don't worry if this sounds like a foreign language to you: In our workshops you will not only learn helpful tips but also get to know the different methods of sensory analysis in depth! Even if you already have extensive sensory knowledge, our deep dives allow you to delve deeper into specific areas or receive input on panel structure and optimization.

What do we offer?

Our offerings are broadly categorized into sensory trainings, the setup of new in-house panels, and optimizing an existing panel. However, the boundaries are fluid. We cover everything from basic knowledge for beginners to more advanced topics such as how to build, maintain and certify your panels – tailored to your individual needs. Sensory Enablement is about empowering you to use sensory science in a way that makes sense for you and your level of knowledge.

Depending on your experience level and needs, we will put together a customized workshop package that covers exactly what you need. The goal is to provide you with sensory and descriptive analysis knowledge directly related to your individual questions.

Our services are tailored to your level of expertise, to your problem, and to your budget. Therefore, your first point of contact will be a conversation with our Sensory Enablement team. Together, we will discuss your expectations, go into detail about each workshop/consulting component, and ultimately provide you with a quote that meets your needs.

A general statement is very vague because our services are tailored to you and your needs. We always adjust the effort and duration of the workshop to your budget, so we are sure to find a solution that works for your budget!

Anything from a few hours to several days is possible, depending on your questions and goals. In a few hours, for example, we will likely find less time for hands-on practice, but we can provide a keynote and helpful input to get things started. A complete panel setup will take more time, but the basics can be done in a few hours.

Our project team will discuss with you in advance how much time you have and what content you need, and then recommend an appropriate schedule.

The number of participants is up to you and your question! Since the workshops are exclusive, only people from your company participate. This has the advantage that we can have an open discussion about your products and prototypes without fear of disclosure of internal information. Together with our team, you will discuss in advance who from your company would make sense to attend – this depends on the topics and questions you would like to address in the workshop.

We are flexible in our choice of location: we are happy to come to you and train you on your products in your familiar environment. Sometimes it makes sense to leave your usual surroundings and learn something new in a different environment. For this purpose, we can either offer you premises in our offices in Göttingen or Hamburg, or we can take care of the booking of workshop facilities in your area.

We offer sensory workshops, trainings and consulting for absolute beginners as well as advanced and expert sessions. Each session is tailored to you, your level and your goals, so that you get as much new information as possible and maximize your learning experience.

If your question is not listed here, please feel free to contact our Sensory Enablement Team! They will be happy to provide you with more information about our services.

With over 25 years of experience in sensory market research, we have extensive experience in descriptive analysis and consumer testing. It is part of our daily work to choose the right methods for each problem and to analyze products in a solution-oriented way. We want to share this knowledge with you!

Our workshops, training courses and consulting services are conducted by experienced project managers and sensory experts. They work every day on the descriptive analysis of our customers' products, so they know all the tips and tricks. As a bonus, they know exactly how to communicate sensory methods and knowledge in an appealing way, so you won't be bored by long theoretical monologues.