Effect of Carriers on Descriptive Sensory Characteristics: A Case Study with Soy Sauce

Carriers sometimes are used for sensory testing when a product has a strong characteristic such as the saltiness in soy sauce, the heat/burn in hot sauce or the oily/greasy character of butter or mayonnaise. However, using a carrier in sensory testing may increase the complexity of perceived characteristics or change sensory attributes. In this study, 20 soy sauce samples were evaluated plain (control) and with three possible carriers: cooked rice, chicken broth and grilled chicken, using descriptive analysis by highly trained sensory assessors. As expected, the addition of a carrier in soy sauce decreased the perceived intensity of many sensory characteristics. Although testing in different food matrices did impact some aspects, overall the use of a carrier did not strongly affect the classification patterns of soy sauce samples. Interestingly, the blandest food, white rice, and the most complex product, grilled chicken, appeared to have some of the greatest impact on sensory properties, while chicken broth, a moderately flavored product, had the most similar results compared with the plain soy sauce control. Practical Applications Some products such as condiments or seasoning ingredients that have strong characteristics may need to be evaluated with a carrier for sensory, and especially, consumer tests. An understanding of the effect of the carrier on perceived sensory characteristics would aid sensory scientists in selecting a proper carrier to be used in a study. It cannot be assumed that the blandest nor most complex carrier will provide the best option.