**Preface to "Novel Techniques to Measure the Sensory, Emotional, and Physiological (Biometric) Responses of Consumers toward Foods and Packaging"**

Sensory analysis is used to evaluate the quality and acceptability of foods, beverages, and packaging. However, sensory tests rely on the analysis of self-reported responses to measure the various sensory parameters, and self-reported inputs are generally affected by cognitive biases, which influence the decision-making around the evaluated products. Novel measurement techniques including biometrics based on non-invasive instruments and video/image analyses of subjects could incorporate physiological and/or subconscious responses into the study of consumers. There is a growing interest in understanding the role of physiological reactions of participants toward the sensory assessments of foods.

Furthermore, sensory laboratories use isolated booth environments that are designed to control against the effects of non-product factors such as the external aromas, light distractions, and noises of various surrounding environments. However, some researchers argue that this setting does not represent the actual conditions in which consumers taste their products. Highly controlled testing conditions may lack ecological validity that can lead to a biased evaluation of the sensory attributes by consumers. Recently, the use of virtual reality (VR) environments has become popular for testing the effects of context on the sensory experience. Sensory analysis of foods, beverages, and packaging are incorporating quantitative aspects of culture, behavior/mood, and environment, which require novel approaches.

This book, reprinted from articles published in the Special Issue "Novel Techniques to Measure the Sensory, Emotional, and Physiological (Biometric) Responses of Consumers toward Foods and Packaging" of the journal *Foods,* aims to provide a deeper understanding of novel techniques to measure the different sensory, emotional, and physiological responses toward different products.

> **Damir Torrico** *Editor*
