# What flavour means

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A measurement model separating taste, aroma, trigeminal sensation, texture, appearance and consumer liking.

In brief

A measurement model separating taste, aroma, trigeminal sensation, texture, appearance and consumer liking.

## Explanation

Flavour is not one sensor value. It is the combined experience produced by taste, retronasal aroma, texture, temperature, trigeminal sensations and context.

## FlavoRotor outcome model

 |
 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. [R25] [R29] [R40] [R41] [R42] [R48] [R49]

## Core rule

 **Engineering note**

A chemical change is not automatically a sensory change, and a sensory difference is not automatically an improvement.

## Measurement map

 |
 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. [R29] [R41] [R42] [R48]

## A measurable sensory fingerprint

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.

 |
 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

## References

- [R25] International Organization for Standardization (2021). ISO 4120:2021 Sensory analysis — Methodology — Triangle test. *ISO*.
- [R29] International Organization for Standardization (2017). ISO 6658:2017 Sensory analysis — Methodology — General guidance. *ISO*.
- [R40] International Organization for Standardization (2007). ISO 8589:2007 Sensory analysis — General guidance for the design of test rooms. *ISO*.
- [R41] International Organization for Standardization (2016). ISO 13299:2016 Sensory analysis — Methodology — General guidance for establishing a sensory profile. *ISO*.
- [R42] International Organization for Standardization (2014). ISO 11136:2014 Sensory analysis — Methodology — General guidance for conducting hedonic tests with consumers in a controlled area. *ISO*.
- [R48] International Organization for Standardization (2008). ISO 5492:2008 Sensory analysis — Vocabulary. *International Standard; Amendment 1 published 2016*.
- [R49] International Organization for Standardization (2023). ISO 8586:2023 Sensory analysis — Selection and training of sensory assessors. *International Standard*.