March 2010

Dear Reader,

If you've ever needed reliable, cost-effective information about your products – and fast – this issue of Sixth Sense is for you.

Sometimes you need to know how different or similar samples are, without the in-depth information you get from a full profiling method. Which is where Rapid Profiling Techniques (RPTs) come into their own. Used correctly, they can offer significant savings of time and money over more traditional techniques.

So read on for the lowdown on RPTs – what they involve, how and when they're best used, and the two most popular methods. And if you'd like to know more about how these techniques could help you, please get in touch.

Best wishes,

Team at Sensory Dimensions

Making Sense of… Rapid Profiling Techniques

In traditional profiling, a group of trained panellists identifies terms that describe different product attributes. They then qualify the exact meaning of each of these terms before moving on to rate – one sample at a time – the intensity of each attribute in the products being tested. Finally, all the data generated from the exercise is analysed.

Even with experienced panellists, it's not unusual for this process to involve four days of training and six days of rating. And for more complex profiling it could take even longer: weeks, even months. The benefit is, of course, really rich information about the sensory characteristics of your samples. The downside is an expensive and time-consuming process that doesn't suit manufacturers who want to know more about product samples, but don't need the detail provided by a full profiling method.

Which is where the emerging breed of methods known as RPTs comes in. Because they can be completed within one to three days, they are a quick and cost-effective way of getting information about the key characterising sensory attributes of your product. They will tell you, for example, which samples are similar and which are different, which makes them ideal as a pre-screening tool prior to a more extensive analysis.

Two of the most popular techniques are Flash Profiling and Napping®.

Talking Sense About… Flash Profiling and Napping®

Flash Profiling

This method involves between 10 and 15 trained or ‘naïve' panellists. (At Sensory Dimensions we prefer to use trained panellists because of their experience of describing attributes.) Each panellist generates a list of sensory attributes covering all the products in the test. In a subsequent session, for each attribute they rank all the products in order of intensity from ‘weakest' to ‘strongest'.

Because all the samples are assessed at the same time, this method is not suitable for large numbers of products that will produce ‘sensory fatigue' or samples that will change quickly after serving e.g. hot or frozen foods. Around six different samples is optimum, although the exact number will depend on the type of product.

And because there is no training, and all the panellists use their own language to describe and rank the products, this method does rely heavily on specialist statistical software and expertise when it comes to analysing and interpreting the data.

Napping®

Like Flash Profiling, this method will give you information about product attributes and perceptions of how similar or different they are. But the information is gathered and presented differently.

Each panellist is given all the samples and a large sheet of paper. (The name of this RPT derives from the French word nappe, meaning ‘tablecloth' – but uses paper to save on laundry bills!) Panellists arrange their samples on the paper, using the distance between them to indicate how similar (closely spaced) or different (more widely spaced) they perceive them to be. Both horizontal (x) and vertical (y) dimensions are used, and panellists may also be asked to describe the attributes they've used to segment the samples. Once again this method does rely on specialist statistical software and expertise when it comes to analysing and interpreting the data.

As with Flash Profiling, all the products are served together, so this method is not suitable for very large numbers of samples. Equally, it's not suited to too few samples. An optimum number would be between six and ten.

In summary, Napping® is useful for gaining information in two dimensions about similarities or differences between samples. It's a method that focuses on the attributes of greatest importance to individual panellists, but gives less information about attributes they perceive as less important.

Given the rising popularity of Flash Profiling and Napping®, Sensory Dimensions is currently undertaking a detailed comparison of both techniques and conventional profiling, using orange juice samples. We're hoping to present the results at the Eurosense Conference in September this year, so watch this space.

We'll also be speaking at a Professional Food Sensory Group (PFSG) event in May. See below for more details.

News

Could this be you?

We are looking for a Project Manager to work at our branch in Nottingham. As well as having outstanding technical skills and unrivalled attention to detail, the successful candidate will need to be able to manage and communicate effectively with people at all levels – from consumers to directors. They will be expected not only to work within strict timescales and manage all practical elements of a project, but also to analyse, interpret and report the data generated as well as to assist with marketing activities and identifying new business opportunities. A salary of between £25-30K is on offer (dependent on experience), as well as extensive opportunities for continued professional development. For a full job specification, contact Dr Tracey Hollowood.

PFSG event

‘Traditional versus ‘fast' profiling' is the subject of Tracey Hollowood's presentation at this one-day conference on Monday 10 May in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. Taking the theme ‘As Time Goes By', a range of international speakers will be exploring how time affects evaluations in sensory and consumer science. To find out more or book your place, send an email to training@campden.co.uk. There's an early bird discount if you register and pay by credit card before 1 April.