SensoGraph: Using proximity graphs for sensory analysis

Sensory evaluation of foods is as important as chemical, physical or microbiological examinations, being specially relevant in food industries. Classical methods can be long and costly, making them less suitable for certain industries like the wine industry. Some alternatives have arisen recently, including Napping®, where the tasters represent the sensory distances between products by positioning them on a tablecloth; the more similar they perceive the products, the closer they position them on the tablecloth. This method uses multiple factor analysis (MFA) to process the data collected. The present paper introduces the software SensoGraph, which makes use of proximity graphs to analyze those data. The application is described and experimental results are presented in order to compare the performances of SensoGraph and Napping®, using eight wines from the Toro region and two groups of twelve tasters with different expertise.