A measurement model separating taste, aroma, trigeminal sensation, texture, appearance and consumer liking.
Flavour is not one sensor value. It is the combined experience produced by taste, retronasal aroma, texture, temperature, trigeminal sensations and context.
\n| Outcome | Example measurements | What it cannot prove alone |
|---|---|---|
| Taste | sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami intensity | volatile aroma composition |
| Aroma | descriptor profile, GC–MS volatile abundance | consumer preference |
| Texture | firmness, fracture, fibrousness, juiciness | taste identity |
| Appearance | instrumental colour, morphology, visible defects | flavour quality |
| Difference | triangle or other discrimination test | direction or preference |
| Liking | consumer hedonic score | chemical cause |
Discrimination, descriptive profiling and consumer liking answer different questions and are documented separately.
\n| Term | What is measured | Suitable method |
|---|---|---|
| Taste | sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami sensations | trained descriptive panel or defined consumer method |
| Aroma | orthonasal and retronasal odour attributes | descriptive sensory analysis; VOC analysis as complementary evidence |
| Flavour | integrated taste, aroma and trigeminal perception | sensory method selected for the claim |
| Texture | firmness, crispness, fibrousness and juiciness | instrumental texture plus sensory description |
| Preference | degree of liking | consumer hedonic test; never inferred from chemistry alone |
Terminology and method selection follow sensory-analysis standards. A chemical difference can help explain perception, but it does not replace a sensory test.
A target is stored as a versioned set of measurements for one crop and cultivar at a defined harvest stage. It combines a small number of primary chemical and sensory variables with physical plant state and the complete cultivation history.
\n| Layer | Examples of recorded variables | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | selected volatile compounds, sugars, organic acids, pigments | validated chromatographic or spectrometric method |
| Sensory | sweet, sour, bitter, named aromas, texture, trigeminal sensations | coded and blinded sensory protocol |
| Physical state | developmental stage, colour, fresh and dry mass, water content | calibrated imaging and physical measurements |
| Process history | light, temperature, humidity, nutrient, pH, EC, rotation and harvest history | timestamped sensor and actuator records |