Srikanth Chatrapathy had a sharp nose for smell and joined Centre for Food Technology and Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore to hone his skills, in 1984. He has worked as food taster for Brooke Bond, Nilgiris, K C Das and MTR. He has tasted a large range of vegetarian foods ranging from ‘puliogare’ to jamoons and ice creams. He also tastes food for his company, Food Associates. Talking about his skill, he says “Sometimes, at home, I get too critical with food!”

indiamarkets: How is food tasting employed commercially?
Srikanth Chatrapathy: Food tasting is required for any food, anything that is edible – for soups, snacks, chocolates – anything that needs to be highly palatable, wherever ‘sensory evaluation’ is needed to judge food. Food tasters or ‘sensory evaluators’ decipher the food. They find out what is wrong with a product and what it lacks. They make suggestions that will enhance the end product. They work along with the R&D and Production Manager to see that the suggested changes are made that they are incorporated for the consumers. While chemical analysis may be done with foods, it is only sensory evaluation that can help with factors like deciding if the food is sour, salty, bitter and spicy – there is a psychological angle to it.

indiamarkets: How old is food tasting as a profession?
Srikanth Chatrapathy:Food tasting has been around for a long time – since the 1940s and 50s. It developed through the 1970s and 1980s. It is a good profession. Every person has the ability to smell –- some are especially good at it -– they can opt for the courses and become professionals.

indiamarkets: What does the food taster do to enhance the sample?
Srikanth Chatrapathy: The food taster can help fine-tune large-scale production. He finds solutions for drawbacks in the sample so that the end product is perfect. About 30 per cent of the ‘satisfaction’ that one gets from the taste of food comes from the food-taster, through sensory evaluation. The aim should be 100 per cent satisfaction from the product.

indiamarkets: Where does one study it?
Srikanth Chatrapathy: Courses in food tasting are offered at Centre for Food Technology and Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore and in Mumbai with MSc in Food Technology. Food tasting is largely used in the tea, coffee, wine and beverages industry. Being a food taster is a wellpaid job. There are very few food tasters in India and they keep hopping from place to place.

indiamarkets: Are any special skills needed?
Srikanth Chatrapathy: Any person wanting to become a food taster must have an aptitude to decipher all ingredients in foods and beverages. Second, there are some constraints – one should not drink alcohol or smoke as this makes the taste buds insensitive. Thirdly, there is the time factor. Food tasting is done early in the morning or in the evening from 3 pm to 5 pm when taste buds are at their peak sensitivity.

Also, while the layman looks only for the odour of food, tasters have to look at the overall impact that food makes -- in terms of size, colour and preparation. For instance, some foods look good but might taste bad and some foods may not look good but they taste good.

indiamarkets: What is the potential for people with this skill?
Srikanth Chatrapathy: It is important as all foods need tasters but it is especially important for tea, coffee and beverages, which is a seller's market. Abroad, there is much scope for it. For instance, we need to identify different kinds of honey, like wild honey or rose honey.

In instant foods, however, consumers are not so discerning – they are not aware of all factors that make up a good product. They cannot make out nuances like texture. For instance, if it is a sweet food, anything sweet and expensive gets accepted.

indiamarkets: Is not food tasting subjective?
Srikanth Chatrapathy: Yes, there is a degree of subjectivity. However, when we are given samples to taste, we are not aware of their origin. We are given only numbers and do not know which company has produced the sample. This is to ensure that we give an unbiased opinion.