SIST EN ISO 13299:2016 PDF

Overview

EN ISO 13299:2016 - Sensory analysis - Methodology - General guidance for establishing a sensory profile (ISO 13299:2016) provides harmonized guidance for designing and conducting sensory profiling using trained assessors. The standard explains the overall process to develop a sensory profile - a descriptive analysis that documents sensory attributes (sight, odour, taste, touch, hearing) and assigns intensity values. It applies across sectors (food, beverage, tobacco, cosmetics, textile, paper, packaging, air and water samples) and is also relevant to studies of human cognition and behaviour.

Key topics and requirements

• Scope and purpose: Clarifies when and why to create sensory profiles (product development, shelf-life, benchmarking, off‑odour characterization).
• General test conditions: Guidance on test room, equipment and sample handling to ensure repeatable sensory evaluation.
• Assessors and training: Selection, training and development of a common sensory vocabulary for trained assessors; references to assessor initiation methods.
• Descriptive methods covered: Several profiling approaches are described, including:
  • Consensus profile
  • Deviation-from-reference (relative-to-reference) scaling
  • Free‑choice profile
  • Flash profile
  • Quantitative descriptive profile
  • Qualitative sensory profile
  • Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS)
• Procedure for establishing a profile: Practical phases - prepare the test (select products, assessors, attributes, response scales), train assessors, conduct evaluations (scoresheets, evaluation order), and perform statistical interpretation.
• Documentation: Requirements for study reporting and guidance on data analysis (univariate analyses and annex methods).
• Normative references: Integrates terminology and assessor training principles (e.g., ISO 5492, ISO 5496).

Applications and practical value

EN ISO 13299:2016 is used to:

• Develop or reformulate products with targeted sensory attributes.
• Define product, production or trading standards based on sensory criteria.
• Establish a “fresh” reference for shelf‑life and stability testing.
• Benchmark products against competitors or reference samples.
• Map sensory attributes to instrumental, chemical or consumer-acceptance data.
• Identify and quantify off‑odours or off‑tastes for quality control or environmental studies.

Practical benefits: consistent sensory vocabulary, reproducible profiles, better communication between R&D, quality and marketing, and robust inputs for multivariate analysis and formulation decisions.

Related standards

• ISO 5492 - Sensory analysis - Vocabulary (terminology for attributes)
• ISO 5496 - Sensory analysis - Initiation and training of assessors in odour detection and recognition

Keywords: EN ISO 13299:2016, sensory analysis, sensory profile, sensory profiling, descriptive analysis, trained assessors, sensory evaluation, Temporal Dominance of Sensations, quantitative descriptive profile.