Wageningen University & Research’s Business Unit established new technology to Assessing virtual reality food flavour experience with the help of Virtual reality (VR) glasses.
Consumers value the flavour of agricultural products. As a result, many farmers and breeders have their goods tasted by the Wageningen University & Research’s Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture’s flavour panel. Because of the corona problem, the majority of testing is done at home with members of the flavour panel. They may be added in the future by virtual reality glasses.
Flavor panels are divided into two categories. First, there’s the consumer panel, which assesses a product’s appeal. There are also a variety of rained sensory panels to choose from. They can differentiate a wide range of flavour characteristics. The highly trained panel members are able to recognise and describe the various flavour characteristics in items. These panels use a set of flavour qualities (descriptors), such as juiciness and firmness.
Training Online
Many of the flavour panels’ activities can no longer take place in the Bleiswijk venue because of the corona situation. This is true, for example, of our sensory panels that have been taught. Our sensory panel training is conducted entirely online in order to prepare our panel to accurately describe their flavour experiences. The panel members pick up a package of products from the WUR in Bleiswijk half an hour before the training so that they are fresh for the online meeting. For example, online sensory training was held on the goods apples, carrots, and beetroot in the previous year.
Virtual reality food Experience, Alternatives for visual assessments
It’s also a matter of perspective when it comes to flavour. As a result, a tiny test room supermarket has been established at the WUR building in Bleiswijk, allowing for visual evaluation. The ocular examination was difficult due to the corona problem. As a result, a number of alternatives were examined last year, including VR glasses (also known as virtual reality). A questionnaire with images of the items and a short visit to the test room shop followed by an assessment at home. The panel members obtained the products from the WUR building in Bleiswijk and examined at home in the latter scenario.
Scope for Further research
The flavour panellists scores with VR glasses were the most similar to the scores during the ‘old normal.’ The VR glasses under investigation resemble a pair of miniature reading glasses that may be attached to a smartphone. With this, People may view a photo of the WUR supermarket in 360°. In the coming year, researchers will look at how Researchers might utilise these VR glasses to conduct a visual study on fruits and vegetables as efficiently as feasible.
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