Producing products of reliable quality is vitally important to the food and beverage industry. In particular, companies often fail to ensure that the sensory quality of their products remains consistent, leading to the sale of goods which fail to meet the desired specifications or are rejected by the consumer. This book is a practical guide for all those tasked with using sensory analysis for quality control (QC) of food and beverages. Chapters in part one cover the key aspects to consider when designing a sensory QC program. The second part of the book focuses on methods for sensory QC and statistical data analysis. Establishing product sensory specifications and combining instrumental and sensory methods are also covered. The final part of the book reviews the use of sensory QC programs in the food and beverage industry. Chapters on sensory QC for taint prevention and the application of sensory techniques for shelf-life assessment are followed by contributions reviewing sensory QC programs for different products, including ready meals, wine and fish. A chapter on sensory QC of products such as textiles, cosmetics and cars completes the volume. Sensory analysis for food and beverage quality control is an essential reference for anyone setting up or operating a sensory QC program, or researching sensory QC.

The development of food and drink products for children and adolescents represents an expanding market sector, which has received little attention in the existing literature. In recognition of increasing concerns regarding diet and nutrition in children and their potential impact on nutrition-related health issues in later life, this book covers three broad aspects relating to developing children's food products - nutrition and health, children's food choices, and the design and testing of food and drink products for children. Part one covers topical issues in pre-adult nutrition and health, such as nutritional requirements, fluid intake needs, diet and behaviour and growing 20th century health problems such as childhood obesity and food allergies. Part two then focuses on children's food choices, addressing food promotion and food choice in children and strategies that can be used to improve children's food choices both inside and outside of the home. Finally, part three considers the design of food and drink products for children, with an emphasis on working with children and adolescents to design food and drink products, and how best to undertake consumer and sensory testing with children. With its team of expert international contributors, Developing children's food products is an essential resource for both academics and food industry professionals, offering particular assistance to product developers working within the competitive children's market.

Ensuring that foods and beverages remain stable during the required shelf life is critical to their success in the market place, yet companies experience difficulties in this area. Food and beverage stability and shelf life provides a comprehensive guide to factors influencing stability, methods of stability and shelf life assessment and the stability and shelf life of major products. Part one describes important food and beverage quality deterioration processes, including microbiological spoilage and physical instability. Chapters in this section also investigate the effects of ingredients, processing and packaging on stability, among other factors. Part two describes methods for stability and shelf life assessment including food storage trials, accelerated testing and shelf life modelling. Part three reviews the stability and shelf life of a wide range of products, including beer, soft drinks, fruit, bread, oils, confectionery products, milk and seafood. With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Food and beverage stability and shelf life is a valuable reference for professionals involved in quality assurance and product development and researchers focussing on food and beverage stability.

Instrumental measurements of the sensory quality of food and drink are of growing importance in both complementing data provided by sensory panels and in providing valuable data in situations in which the use of human subjects is not feasible. Instrumental assessment of food sensory quality reviews the range and use of instrumental methods for measuring sensory quality.
After an introductory chapter, part one goes on to explore the principles and practice of the assessment and analysis of food appearance, flavour, texture and viscosity. Part two reviews advances in methods for instrumental assessment of food sensory quality and includes chapters on food colour measurement using computer vision, gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), electronic noses and tongues for in vivo food flavour measurement, and non-destructive methods for food texture assessment. Further chapters highlight in-mouth measurement of food quality and emerging flavour analysis methods for food authentication. Finally, chapters in part three focus on the instrumental assessment of the sensory quality of particular foods and beverages including meat, poultry and fish, baked goods, dry crisp products, dairy products, and fruit and vegetables. The instrumental assessment of the sensory quality of wine, beer, and juices is also discussed.
Instrumental assessment of food sensory quality is a comprehensive technical resource for quality managers and research and development personnel in the food industry and researchers in academia interested in instrumental food quality measurement.
Reviews the range and use of instrumental methods for measuring sensory qualityExplores the principles and practice of the assessment and analysis of food appearance, flavour, texture and viscosityReviews advances in methods for instrumental assessment of food sensory quality

Volume 1 and 2 summarises the wealth of recent research on what influences texture in semi-solid foods and how it can be controlled to maximise product quality.
Part one of Volume 1 reviews research on the structure of semi-solid foods and its influence on texture, covering emulsion rheology, the behaviour of biopolymers and developments in measurement. Part two considers key aspects of product development and enhancement. It includes chapters on engineering emulsions and gels, and the use of emulsifiers and hydrocolloids. The final part of the book discusses improving the texture of particular products, with chapters on yoghurt, spreads, ice cream, sauces and dressings.
The first part of Volume 2 reviews research on understanding how consumers experience texture when they eat, and how they perceive and describe key textural qualities such as crispness. Part two considers the instrumental techniques used for analysing texture. It includes chapters on force/deformation and sound input techniques, near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The final part examines how the texture of particular foods may be better understood and improved. A number of chapters review ways of controlling the texture of fruits and vegetables, including the role of plant structure and compounds, the handling of raw materials and technologies such as freezing and vacuum infusion. A final group of chapters discuss the texture of cereal foods, including bread, rice, pasta and fried food.
Summarises the wealth of recent research on what influences texture in semi-solid foods and how it can be controlled to maximise product qualityReviews research on the structure of semi-solid foods and its influence on texture, covering emulsion rheology, the behaviour of biopolymers and developments in measurementReviews developments in measuring the texture of solid foods