Month: June 2015

Sensory

Sensory Evaluations: It’s All in the Details (Part 1)

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We have all heard that “4 out of 5 dentists prefer….”—-you can fill in the blank.  But did they really only ask 5 dentists?  Were they young?  Old?  Do they live on the east coast?  West coast?  Who are these dentists anyway?

Choosing appropriate demographics in market research and sensory evaluations is paramount when designing a sensory study. If we are asking questions of the wrong people, we might as well have not come to work that day. Putting time and thought into proper panelist recruiting and screening ensures usable, actionable data will prevail. Continue Reading

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Chemistry

Spices Are a Hot Topic – And Continue To Be!

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Late in 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of cumin samples for undeclared allergens. Adventitious presence of allergens is common, and the agency has conducted frequent recalls in this category. The number of allergen-related recalls that year was 34%, surpassing recalls of products caused by microbiological issues (30%).[1]

This small-scale recall soon snowballed into a widespread series of allergy-related recalls since the 2006 passage of the U.S. Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act. A single Pennsylvania company recalled more than 35,000 pounds of its chili products; another company recalled more than 500 of its spice products from shelves nationwide. [2] Continue Reading

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