1.1 本指南提供了推荐的感官测试方法和决策标准，用于确定消费品（包括食品、个人护理和家用产品）的感官保质期，以管理业务风险。它描述了研究注意事项，包括:产品选择和处理、特定感官测试方法的适当应用、测试间隔的选择以及确定产品感官保质期终点的数据分析技术。本指南将重点介绍在设计、执行和解释感官保质期结果时必须考虑的实际因素和方法、风险和标准。 1.2 本指南无意详细说明如何进行可靠的感官测试。它假设具备基本感官和统计分析技术的知识，而不是侧重于感官测试方法在保质期测定中的具体应用的特殊考虑。 1.3 本指南中的保质期措施是指按照制造商的预期储存的食品、家用和个人护理产品，不考虑打开、部分消费/使用或在家中储存后发生的感官特性变化。一旦产品制造、包装并通过分销渠道发送，通常不会对产品的状况进行研究。 然而，当需要评估产品通过分销渠道或在家中储存或两者同时使用时的感官质量时，公司可能希望在货架期研究中包括这些变量。 1.4 本指南无意解决与食品保质期相关的非感官问题，包括与老化相关的产品的微生物污染和化学变化，也无意解决与老化食品和非食品消费品相关的潜在安全问题。 1.5 本国际标准是根据世界贸易组织技术性贸易壁垒（TBT）委员会发布的《关于制定国际标准、指南和建议的原则的决定》中确立的国际公认标准化原则制定的。 ====意义和用途====== 5.1 感官保质期是指产品的感官特性和性能符合制造商预期的时间段。该产品在此期间可消费或可用，为最终用户提供预期的感官特征、性能和益处。然而，在此期间之后，产品的特性或属性与预期不符，或者其功能与新鲜产品或货架期结束前消费或使用的产品不同。 5.2 所有保质期测定的目标是估计消费品不再可用、不适合消费或不再具有预期感官特征的时间。 5.3 在开始感官保质期研究之前，必须定义用于定义保质期结束的标准。标准可以是感官属性、消费者接受程度或产品性能。一旦确定了标准，就可以选择测量感官保质期的测试方法。通常根据以下产品感官或功能参数的一个或多个变化来选择操作上定义保质期结束的标准:（1）老化产品与新鲜产品总体上明显不同，（2）老化产品在特定感官或功能属性上发生了变化，有的增加，有的减少，或与新鲜产品相比出现新属性，或（3）老化产品的产品可接受性比新鲜产品的可接受性降低到特定程度。 这些感官终点的确定取决于研究人员选择的标准、使用的测试方法以及抽样和统计风险。 5.4 以下三种测试方法最常用于上述三种终点标准:（1）判别，（2）描述性和（3）情感性。研究人员必须选择最适合与选择最终保质期终点相关的商业风险的标准和方法。 5.5 一旦产品制造出来，潜在的化学和物理过程就会继续:时间、温度、氧气、湿度或光线是导致这些化学变化的一些变量。 产品与包装的相互作用也可能影响产品的感官保质期。这些通常是保质期研究中包含的自变量。然而，旨在确定感官保质期变化原因或开发保质期预测模型的研究技术超出了本文件的范围。 5.6 以前对类似产品的感官研究、营销研究、产品技术、制造考虑、营销目标、消费者评论、投诉和其他商业标准都可以在确定感官终点标准中发挥作用。 5.7 决策风险、终点标准和保质期测试程序应由利益相关者审查并同意，如营销、市场研究、研发、质量保证和制造。

1.1 This guide provides recommended sensory testing approaches and decision criteria for establishing the sensory shelf life of consumable products, including food, personal care, and household products, to manage business risk. It describes research considerations that include: product selection and handling, appropriate application of specific sensory test methods, selection of test intervals, and data analysis techniques for the determination of a product’s sensory shelf life end-point. This guide will focus on the practical considerations and approaches, risks, and criteria that must be considered in designing, executing, and interpreting sensory shelf life results. 1.2 This guide is not intended to provide a detailed description of how to conduct reliable sensory testing. It assumes knowledge of basic sensory and statistical analysis techniques, focusing instead on special considerations for the specific application of sensory testing methods to shelf life determination. 1.3 The shelf life measures in this guide refer to foods, household and personal care products stored as the manufacturer intended and do not account for changes in sensory properties occurring after opening, partial consumption/use or in-home storage. Once products have been manufactured, packaged and sent through the distribution channels, the condition of the products is not typically under study. However, a company may wish to include such variables in their shelf life studies when there is a need to evaluate the sensory quality of their products as they go through distribution channels or in-home storage, or both, and use. 1.4 This guide is not intended to address non-sensory issues related to the shelf life of food, including microbial contamination and chemical changes of products associated with aging, nor is it intended to address potential safety issues associated with aging food and non-food consumer products. 1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee. ====== Significance And Use ====== 5.1 Sensory shelf life is the time period during which the product’s sensory characteristics and performance are as intended by the manufacturer. The product is consumable or usable during this period, providing the end-user with the intended sensory characteristics, performance, and benefits. After this period, however, the product has characteristics or attributes that are not as intended, or it does not perform the same functions as fresh products or those consumed or used before the end of shelf life. 5.2 The goal of all shelf life determination is to estimate the time at which a consumer product is no longer usable, unfit for consumption, or no longer has the intended sensory characteristics. 5.3 Prior to the commencement of sensory shelf life study, the criteria/criterion that are/is used to define shelf life end must be defined. The criterion or criteria could be sensory attributes, consumer acceptance or product performance. Once the criteria are defined, the test methodology for measuring the sensory shelf life can be selected. The criterion operationally defining the end of shelf life is generally chosen based on one or more of the following changes in the product’s sensory or functional parameters, or both: (1) the aged product is perceptibly different from the fresh product overall, (2) the aged product has changed in specific sensory or functional attributes, either increasing some, decreasing others, or the appearance of new attributes compared to the fresh product, or (3) product acceptability of the aged product has decreased to a specific degree from that of the fresh product. The determination of these sensory end-points is a function of the criteria selected, the test method used, and sampling and statistical risks chosen by the researcher. 5.4 The three following test methods are most commonly used for the three end-point criteria cited above: (1) discrimination, (2) descriptive, and (3) affective. Researchers have to select criteria and methods that best suit the business risks associated with the selection of a final shelf life end-point. 5.5 Once a product is made, underlying chemical and physical processes continue: Time, temperature, oxygen, humidity, or light are some of the variables that can contribute to these chemical changes. The interaction of the product with the packaging may also impact the sensory shelf life of the product. These are often the independent variables included in a shelf life study. However, research techniques designed to identify the causes of sensory shelf life changes or to develop predictive models of shelf life are beyond the scope of this document. 5.6 Previous sensory research with similar products, marketing research, product technology, manufacturing considerations, marketing objectives, consumer comments, complaints, and other business criteria can all play a part in determining sensory end-point criteria. 5.7 The decision risk, end-point criteria, and shelf life testing procedure should be reviewed and agreed to by stakeholders, such as Marketing, Market Research, R&D, Quality Assurance, and Manufacturing.