Consumer cognition is the expression of the mind, which is formed by the external environment stimulation. Its impact on consumer behavior is reflected in the formation of consumer products to the special love, guide consumers to buy and choose the ration. Along with the development of the "younger" and "internationalization" of liquor consumption groups, the limitation of traditional sensory evaluation and expression methods are becoming more and more prominent. It is urgent to develop new consumer cognitive habits and preferences, to promote the development of sensory evaluation and expression of traditional Chinese liquor through the standard guidance, and to facilitate the formation of sensory knowledge of liquor .
In 2009, National Technical Committee 358 on Chinese spirit of Standardization Administration of China (TC358) set up the standard of sensory standards drafting group, to carry out the work of the sense of the spirit of a series of standard research and development. In September 2017, three Baijiu sensory national standards were finished and implemented.
1. Terminology of Baijiu sensory evaluation(GB/T 33405-2016): In the study of sensory cognitive norms and expression language, more than 1,000 words used by professional wine tasters are collected and sorted out through the demonstration of the formulation process of international wine flavor terms. The descriptive terms and cognitive habits of liquor consumers are studied and analyzed, and the characteristic descriptive terms such as "jiang、grain、baked、sour、sweet、fruity、floral、mi、oily are screened out. Based on these research, the "Terminology of Baijiu sensory evaluation" standard is finished. It formulates three categories (raw material aroma, fermented aroma and ageing aroma) of 27 typical odor characteristics, “five taste dimensions (softness, fullness and harmony, purity, lasting) and a variety of flavor types. The research constructs the framework and main content of "Chinese liquor (baijiu) flavor wheel" basic terms, to promote standardization of the traditional liquor sensory evaluation language.
2. Guidelines for sensory evalution of Baijiu(GB/T 33404-2016):In terms of sensory evaluation, the quantitative description and evaluation method of liquor is established through the follow-up study of food sensory technical standards at home and abroad, and the flavor profiles of 23 liquors with 10 flavor types are drawn. It also analyzes the young consumer preference trends, compares on the diversified of tasters in enterprise evaluation with young people, and promotes the standard technology of objectivity sensory evaluation.It studies and formulates “the guidelines of Baijiu sensory evaluation” standards, norms liquor evaluation environment, personnel, procedures, methods conditions and technical means, and promotes liquor sensory evaluation technology standardization and product cognitive description of diversification.
3. Guidelines for threshold determination of Baijiu flavor substances(GB/T 33406-2016): In terms of the research methods of sensory characteristics of liquor flavor substances, the methodology demonstration of "169 Plan" liquor flavor substance threshold determination is carried out, and various threshold evaluation and calculation methods at home and abroad are analyzed and compared. The standard of “Guidelines for threshold determination of Baijiu flavor substances” is set up. It provides for the sample preparation, evaluation process, statistical analysis, and so on. In order to provide a standard method for the research on the formation mechanism of the sensory and characteristics of liquor, this is effective in the industry.
From the aspect of consumers' rational cognition, it promotes consumers' scientific cognition of liquor and liquor culture, and promotes the continuous development and dissemination of liquor evaluation culture.From the cultivation of enterprise market consumption culture, the standardization of liquor sensory evaluation promotes the full communication and exchange between the industry and the consumer market, and provides a scientific means for objective analysis and effective evaluation of consumers' awareness and demands of liquor quality characteristics.
In Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (2015),"Baijiu flavor wheel" and the evaluation methods were used to introduce the sensory flavor characteristics of Chinese liquor to international liquor evaluation experts, which verified the practical significance of the formation of market-oriented evaluation concept of liquor consumption experience culture, and it was a beneficial practice to promote liquor internationalization and consumption cognition.