80% of consumers repurchase a product because of its sensory appeal (smell, flavor, texture).* But what actually constitutes sensory appeal is not so easy to determine as it sounds. After all, consumers express their feelings about food emotionally and subjectively.
Cargill’s Sensory & Consumer Science team bridges the gap between subjective consumer terms and objective product characterizations to uncover their true meaning and enhance these attributes in our products.
Taste is an experience shaped by various factors, demographics such as age and gender, cultural background, and even the moment of the day. From the environment around to the knowledge about a product, many elements come together to define what people crave and why. That’s why our team dives deep into these connections to advise on product solutions that are tailored to satisfy every craving, from indulgent sweets to energizing bites.
*Cargill Heartbeat: *1,160 consumers from Dairy Alt, Meat Alt from ~ 11,500 consumers (Categories – chocolate confectionery, bakery, ice cream, dairy alt, meat alt).
Cargill’s latest sensory research
Dark coated biscuit in a representative set of 12 chocolate & alternatives, including our new NextCoa™ confectionery alternative to chocolate. Tested in Germany with 155 consumers.
Key sensory & consumer science services at Cargill
Let’s talk taste: Sensolingo™ - our harmonized sensory language
Sensory language provides a shared framework for describing and understanding product characteristics. This common language bridges subjective perceptions and objective analysis, fostering clear communication and delivering consistency across product evaluations and developments.
Cargill’s Sensolingo™ harmonized sensory language ensures clear and consistent communication on sensory product characteristics across Cargill and with our customers. It enhances mutual understanding and facilitates a smoother, more efficient and expedited co-creation process.
Let’s measure taste: Introducing TiDS™
How do we measure something as personal and complex as taste? By combining science with human perception, we uncover the secrets behind flavor, texture, and overall enjoyment. Through advanced methods, we can statically or dynamically track how humans experience a product.
Food sensory perception is a dynamic one! Once a product enters the human mouth, the symphony of oral processing and mastication begins. Saliva and body heat in combination with jaw movements transform a food product into various stimuli captured by receptors on our tongue, palate and in the nose, transmitted instantly to our brain – where the mystery happens – we decide to like or dislike the product.
Complex stimuli need innovative technology to be measured precisely! This dynamic nature can be captured by Cargill’s cloud-based technology TiDS™ – Temporal Intensity Dominance of Sensation. TiDS™ allows us to follow human food perception throughout all time points in the chewing process.
For example, we can follow one of the key sensory attribute for consumer liking – sweet – from how it is perceived at the start of the first chew up till its perception after swallowing and also how it compared to multiple other attributes that join in the experience.
Timing also matters depending on the market in which you are operating. In gummy bears, for example, an attribute such as sweetness is critical to be formulated towards the ideal timepoint of perception. A too late sweet perception drives negative consumer response in Spain, whereas a too early sweet perception triggers product dislikes for Germans.
Sensory Intelligence: Cargill™ Heartbeat
Food engages the human body in a dynamic and complex interplay, with every bite activating multiple senses to trigger a rich palette of emotions.
Today’s consumers are more demanding than ever. They seek great taste without compromising on health, wellness, or ethical values. For food industries, staying ahead in this fast-moving market requires constant innovation to meet evolving expectations.
Cargill™ Heartbeat is our sensory intelligence program, leveraging advanced sensometric* methods to decode what truly matters to consumers. From portfolio segmentation to recipe formulation and optimization, it predicts and advises how to craft products that consumers crave.
Cargill™ Heartbeat provides deep insights into every consumer touchpoint – from handling and preparation to taste preferences across diverse markets. By combining cutting-edge sensory science with AI-driven analysis, it can assess specific persona profiles and unlocks opportunities to create products that resonate on every level.
A great example of our recent work involves decoding the ideal number of dark chocolate types needed in EMEA to satisfy 100% of consumer preferences.** Analysis revealed 3 distinct consumer segments, each with unique preferences and taste profiles. To cater to these segments, 3 signature recipes were crafted, varying in fruit notes, sweetness, and more to align with specific preferences.
The Cargill™ Heartbeat advantage:
- Analyzes consumer product preferences and guides product design.
- Segments product portfolios based on sensory consumer profiles and needs.
- Enables faster product design by predictive modeling.
Cargill owns a broad range of consumer experience models for various food product categories such as chocolate confectionary or plant-based meat & dairy alternatives. Reach out to us to learn more and explore how our insights can help us to co-create products consumers love at first bite.
COMING SOON!
Plant-based cheese study with 600 consumers across the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK.
*Sensometrics is the application of statistics, mathematics, and computer science in sensory research to understand consumer behavior, choices, preferences, and emotions, guiding product formulation and innovation.**Research on 800 chocolate confectionery consumers in in France, Germany, and Spain.
Your co-creation partner for sensory excellence
From innovative ingredients to end-product excellence, Cargill’s global network of sensory centers and consumer science capabilities work to create memorable experiences that engage consumers on every level. Our laboratories can characterize a broad range of products from ingredients to end-product solutions.
Sensory expert characterization at Cargill is grounded on the highest sensory lab standards, continuous panel performance tracking, and global data alignment and calibration.
By leveraging our holistic toolbox to capture & understand the sensory world in a fast, reliable, data-driven way, we can deliver:
- Objective product descriptions.
- Subjective likings/preferences.
- Generate consumer liking, patterns, insights.
- A strengthened recipe development journey.
Sensory success stories
Reach out to our experts and let’s address tomorrow’s consumer desires together and achieve “love at first bite.”
This sensory solutions offer is available to existing Cargill customers with their primary footprint in Europe. We reserve the right to decline requests that do not meet these criteria. Alternatively, please contact your Cargill representative if you wish to have a meeting on sensory-related topics.