Lexicon, sensory wheel and kit as sensory communication tools: a review

Abstract

Abstract A lexicon comprises a collection of standardized sensory vocabulary of product along with its unambiguous definitions and references. It is widely used as a communication tool among sensory panel and it provides sensory insights to product developers, marketing professionals, and suppliers, across countries or cultures to describe similar products. Specific sensory lexicon have been developed for beverages, dairy, fruits and vegetables, nuts and grains, soy and meat products, and animal feed. Based on its lexicon, a sensory wheel can be established hierarchically as an overview of the entire product’s sensory attributes. Furthermore, an intense training for panels is necessary to get a good sensory judgement. Sensory panel calibration can be performed such as by using sensory kit as a training tools. The aim of this paper is to review the latest developed lexicon, sensory wheel and sensory kit, as well as its application.