Sensory science at Cargill: how we design foods people choose again (and again)
Key Takeways
- Food preference is shaped by all five senses. Cargill research shows 80% of re-purchase decisions are driven by sensory appeal, making taste, texture, aroma, appearance and even sound critical to consumer loyalty.
- By embedding sensory and consumer science across R&D, Cargill helps customers fine-tune everything from texture to emotional impact, ensuring consumers keep coming back for more.
- Whether formulating for health, functionality or cost, Cargill’s sensory science experts help products taste great and maintain the food experience consumers love, even during recipe changes.
What is sensory science?
Sensory science decodes how you experience food with all five senses. Taste, smell, texture (feel), sight and sound (think of a satisfying crunch) shape how food is enjoyed.
Each experience starts before food touches your lips. It begins with the presentation of the food (what you see) and the aroma in the air (what you smell). Even the temperature of the food tells your brain what to expect. This pairs with the texture of the dish (is it crunchy or creamy?) and the sounds experienced with each bite.
Once a product enters your mouth, the symphony of oral processing (chewing) begins. Saliva and body heat — in combination with jaw movements — transform food into various stimuli captured by receptors on the tongue, palate and in the nose. Those are instantly transmitted to the brain, where you decide to like or dislike what you’ve eaten.
"Sensory and consumer science is a bridge between consumer desires and product delight,” says Carol Shi, director of sensory and consumer science science in Asia Pacific. “We combine subjective feedback with objective data, turning comments like ‘I want it to taste like my mom made it’ into recipes that bring the right flavors to market.”
Turning data into meaningful experiences: Meet Cargill sensory expert Clémence Léotard
How does Cargill offer customers an edge through sensory innovation?
Cargill’s R&D experts combine science with human perception to measure, analyze and design food experiences that go far beyond what “just tastes good.” Our sensory and consumer science ecosystem is designed for global scale, local relevance and commercial impact.
Sensory science is embedded across every stage of product development, from R&D to commercialization, to help customers create products that consumers love.
Cargill’s approach, in close partnership with our customers, includes:
Consumer data and insights
Today’s consumers want more from food: indulgent taste without compromise, multisensory experiences, regionally tailored profiles, and fortified options with functional benefits. Our sensory science expertise bridges those expectations with design precision.
Sensory experts, across every region
Cargill’s sensory scientists apply the findings from these tools in new formats and work with trained sensory panelists to understand the full sensory profile of a food (aroma, flavors, intensity). Then they co-create solutions with customers, developing the multisensory experiences consumers crave in each dish.
Global sensory science and innovation labs
In innovation centers across Belgium, Brazil, China, Singapore, Canada, India, the U.S. and beyond, our sensory experts conduct additional rounds of customer, employee and consumer trials. This helps ensure our customers' products meet consumer needs — based on sensory differences and emotional reactions around the world.
5 tools for predictive modeling and AI in sensory science
Modern sensory science requires more than just tasting. Cargill’s advanced methodologies and proprietary digital tools create a bridge between science, consumer emotions and preferences.
1. Cargill Sensory Intelligence
These AI-enhanced formulation models compare subjective “likeability” data to various data from factory production processes, ingredients, sensory insights and even customer products in the market. This allows Cargill to predict the future of what consumers may like or dislike to create and target new flavors and craveable experiences.
2. Taste Tinker
Cargill’s AI-powered innovation platform generates new food and beverage product concepts using generative AI. By combining large language models of flavor and sensory data with image generation, Taste Tinker inspires new offerings and shortens the time from ideation to new product development.
3. TiDS™: Temporal Intensity Dominance of Sensation
Cargill’s cloud-based platform captures how sensory perception changes over time. TiDS™ tracks how sweetness, bitterness and texture unfold from first bite to that last lingering taste — data that helps optimize flavor release at exactly the right moment.
4. Candy Tool
Cargill’s platform to recommend sweeteners based on sensory and consumer science, built on an extensive database and predictive analytics. Candy Tool provides detailed insights into sweeteners’ sensory properties, how the taste is perceived over time, the synergy of sweetener combinations and predicted performance in different product applications.
Cargill’s shared language system ensures consistency in how we describe and understand sensory characteristics across regions, teams and customers — enhancing mutual understanding and expediting co-creation from Belgium to Brazil.
How sensory science helped a leading baked goods brand in Latin America maintain flavor during a recipe change
When a baked goods brand in Latin America set out to make a recipe change across its popular donut, filled cookie, shortbread, and laminated cookie lines, it turned to Cargill to help preserve the signature taste and texture that defined its products.
The proposed solution was to replace palm oil with Cargill's Liza Mix, a soybean oil blend with lower saturated fat content and similar ingredient interaction qualities. But success depended on more than functionality—it required rigorous sensory validation to ensure a seamless experience for the consumer.
The process included bench and full-scale production trials, shelf-life studies and sensory panel testing focused on key attributes: flavor, mouthfeel, aroma, and appearance. The results confirmed that the new recipe matched the original experience—no noticeable difference was detected by trained evaluators.
With confidence in both performance and sensory outcomes, the brand moved forward with the change, while preserving the quality its customers love.
Sensory science fast facts (FAQ)
Q: How is “good taste” measured scientifically?
A: Taste preferences are dynamic and can be shaped by age, cultural background and even the moment of the day. We use innovative AI and digital tools — as well as trained panels and consumer research — to bridge the gap between subjective preferences and objective product characterizations to define what people crave and why.
Q: How do sensory experiments with consumers work?
A: Cargill starts with industry data, then goes deeper with experimental design. Using a mix of Cargill trained sensory panelists as well as consumers, we prepare several options for taste panelists to try and provide feedback. That helps us determine the optimal flavor, texture and visual profile for each product.
Q: How fast can sensory inform reformulation?
A: Very quickly. Cargill’s approach to new product development and reformulations always involves sensory testing — at the initial prototype phase, throughout development, and again prior to commercialization at scale.
Q: How does Cargill help customers prove commercial impact?
A: Repeat purchase is the ultimate proof of consumer acceptance, and we know that sensory is the top reason consumers buy a product again.
Q: Is sensory science only used in food?
A: Sensory science goes beyond the food we eat. It’s also used in pet food development, aromas for candles, beauty and self-care products and even in clothing development.
Work with our sensory scientists
Want to co-create food experiences that consumers love? Contact our sensory science teams around the world.
