Beer sensory qualities and taster's perceptions : an electrophysiological, sensory and psychophysiological study comparing expert and consumer tasting panels

Beer consumption to a large extent is dictated by the consumer’s perception of the product. Consumer behaviour is influenced by product marketing activities, advertising penetration, package design, and product quality perceived. To the latter point, matching product sensory and tasting quality to consumer perception and expectation needs to go beyond the scientific approach that brewers normally take in designing the product. Research is needed which investigates the effect of consumer perception, expectation and behaviour on beer sensation and tasting quality. As a first step in this direction, a preliminary study has been conducted to investigate the correlation between general consumer and expert tasting panel responses to beer flavours using tastings, psychophysiological and electrophysiological measures. A panel of industry expert tasters and a panel of general beer consumers were established and profiled using subjective psychophysiological techniques. Both subject groups then participated in tasting sessions, making comparison of eight commercially available beers and rating the beers for attributes as found on the beer flavour wheel [1]. Members of each panel then participated in electroencephalographic [EEG] recording sessions, during which beer volatiles were delivered using the continuous respiration olfactometer [CRO] developed at Swinburne University of Technology [2]. The recorded EEG was then analysed to investigate differences in brain electrical activity in response to beer odours cf air, and for differences between the responses to two different beers. Comparison of the psychophysiological and electrophysiological results for the consumer and expert panels will be reporte