Innovative Approaches in Sensory Food Science: From Digital Tools to Virtual Reality

The food industry faces growing challenges due to evolving consumer demands, requiring digital technologies to enhance sensory analysis. Innovations such as eye tracking, FaceReader, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming consumer behavior research by providing deeper insights into sensory experiences. For instance, FaceReader captures emotional responses to food by analyzing facial expressions, offering valuable data on consumer preferences for taste, texture, and aroma. Together, these technologies provide a comprehensive understanding of the sensory experience, aiding product development and branding. Electronic nose, tongue, and eye technologies also replicate human sensory capabilities, enabling objective and efficient assessment of aroma, taste, and color. The electronic nose (E-nose) detects volatile compounds for aroma evaluation, while the electronic tongue (E-tongue) evaluates taste through electrochemical sensors, ensuring accuracy and consistency in sensory analysis. The electronic eye (E-eye) analyzes food color, supporting quality control processes. These advancements offer rapid, non-invasive, reproducible assessments, benefiting research and industrial applications. By improving the precision and efficiency of sensory analysis, digital tools help enhance product quality and consumer satisfaction in the competitive food industry. This review explores the latest digital methods shaping food sensory research and innovation.