The food components are in the form of solids, in solutions or in the form of colloids - sols or emulsions. The properties of these components determine the quality of food.

The quality of a food product, you would realize, is also usually assessed by means of human sensory organs, the evaluation being called ‘sensory' or ‘subjective' or organoleptic'. Here, in this unit, we shall study about various sensory attributes of food. What characteristics make a food attractive and appealing? How does appearance and colour of a food affect our choice? Does smell has a role to play in making a food choice? Do mouth-feel and finger-feel contribute to food acceptance? All these attributes of a food product come under what we refer to as quality of foods. In this unit, we will learn about these quality attributes of food.