When it comes to food selection, consumers are very reliant on their senses. No matter the date on a carton of milk or the seal on the package of meat, how that milk smells and the color of that meat are just as critical as any official factors. And when it comes to meal time, all the senses must conspire to agree that taste, smell, color, and texture are appealing.

Fidel Toldrá was named 2010 American Meat Science Association Distinguished Research Award recipient

 Compiled by two of the most esteemed researchers in the food science industry, Leo M.L. Nollet and Fidel Toldrá, Sensory Analysis of Foods of Animal Origin identifies and quantifies the quality attributes to help those in the industry understand the importance of perceived sensory quality.

This book is divided into four parts: meat; processed meats and poultry; fish and seafood products; and milk and dairy products. In all four parts, the authors –

Describe the analysis of color and texture of the different foods of animal origin, as well as recent advances in texture measurement

Discuss techniques for sampling and identifying volatile compounds

Detail and quantify a number of sensory aspects including descriptors, perception, and aroma

Include subjective quality index methods that have recently been developed

Each chapter starts with a discussion of the parameter in question, and as necessary, sample preparation methods are reviewed in depth. This is followed by a discussion and assessment of the sensory qualities, or a detailed overview of different detection methods. Finally, a brief summary covers the presence of these parameters in different end products, regions, and countries.

With all the chapters written by experts in their fields, only the most recent techniques and related literature is included.