Annika Åström and Gunnar Hall

SIK The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology

Box 5401, SE 402 29 Göteborg, Sweden

One of the most important success factors for companies producing consumer products, is the ability to develop, manufacture and market products that fulfil the consumers expectations, wishes and demands.

Consumers express directly or indirectly their expectations, wishes and demands on a number of characteristics of a product. All of these expectations, wishes and demands on a specific product can be summarized as “the voice of the consumer”.

One important part in “the voice of the consumer” is the expectations, wishes and demands on the sensory properties of the product. The challenges for a company producing consumer products, food and beverages as well as other consumer items, therefore lies in its ability to define and measure the sensory properties of the product and learn which sensory profile that leads to success among consumers. Not only that, but also the ability to develop and define sensory specifications and systems how to produce against the sensory defined targets.

Both qualitative and quantitative consumer tests are used to listen to the “voice of the consumer” and to translate the information into product specification analytical sensory analysis is needed. The analytical panel may be used to characterize and quantify all sensory perceptions generated when the senses of man, i.e. sight, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting are interacting with any kind of product.

A case study that illustrates the translation from consumer quality perception into product specification will be addressed. Consumers with varying levels of disability judged the “ease of use” of different types of product packaging. The goal with the project is to improve pack design especially for consumers with impaired hand functions.

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