SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF SENSORY EVALUATION AND ITS POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS TO THE VARIOUS DISCIPLINES OF HOME ECONOMICS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Sensory evaluation is a scientific method that deals with precision, accuracy and sensitivity. Its basic principles are in large part anchored on the natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. However, sensory evaluation goes beyond such platforms and has its own social, economic and cultural facets. Sensory evaluation has been extensively used in the study of consumer items such as food and clothing, and lately on behavioral and physiological reactions. It has been an integral part of the food science curriculum in various universities. However, the other disciplines of home economics, such as clothing technology, family life and child development, home economics education, hotel, restaurant and institution management, interior design and community nutrition, which deal with the needs of families and consumers, have not fully maximized the use of sensory evaluation. The multidisciplinary nature of home economics will push sensory evaluation to a more diverse level of relevance and purpose. This paper presented the social, economic and cultural dimensions of sensory evaluation along with its possible applications in the various disciplines of home economics in the Philippines.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The paper provided a wholistic view of sensory evaluation not merely as a scientific method but its important social, cultural and economic dimensions. This document can serve as a guide for students, teachers and professionals in the conduct of sensory assessments. Likewise, this will help home economists not only in the Philippines but also in other countries to maximize the use of sensory evaluation in improving the quality of life of families and consumers. Moreover, this can drive multidisciplinary undertakings utilizing sensory evaluation as the key concept and thus enrich the pool of knowledge both in the natural and social sciences and their interaction.