3.5.organeleptic properties

Question 1

What is the other name for taste?

Answer 1

gustatory sense

Question 2

what are the 5 tastes?

Answer 2

Sweet - usually derived from sugars (especially fructose and lactose) but also from some amino acids and alcohols.
Salty - usually obtained from Sodium chloride but also from salts of potassium and magnesium
Sour - acidic foods such as the citrus fruits lemon and lime and Fermented foods such as yoghurt
Bitter - include coffee, tea, some leafy green vegetables and spices like turmeric.
Umami - the taste buds respond to glutamate compounds found in seaweed, soy sauce, cheese and cured meats

Question 3

how can sight be used to asses the characteristics of food?

Answer 3

-involved in our initial reaction and perception of food.
-Judgements are made by looking at the colour, size, shape and based on our knowledge of texture and taste from previous experience and making visual decisions.

Question 4

how can smell be used to asses the characteristics of food?

Answer 4

-can contribute to our judgements, n hot foods are easier to smell than cold

Question 5

how can sound be used to asses the characteristics of food?

Answer 5

can indicate freshness and ripeness. Sounds that we associate with food include crunching, bubbling, crackling and sizzling.

Question 6

how can touch be used to asses the characteristics of food?

Answer 6

helps with the sensation of texture through the fingers and mouth, including the lips, teeth and tongue

Question 7

what is the difference between taste and flavour?

Answer 7

taste-the sensations that occur as a result of the taste buds being stimulated.
flavour is broader than taste and includes a combination of taste, aroma and mouthfeel

Question 8

what does a sensory analysis do?

Answer 8

allow us to..
-find a difference and discriminate between foods
-find a preference between foods
-describe the characteristics of foods

Question 9

what doe sensory anylsis’ allow food producers to do?

Answer 9

-compare the similarities of differences between products
-analyse possible effects of change in processing techniques
-analyse possible effects of a new recipe formulation
-check the food product meets the requirements of the product specification,

Question 10

what are the 2 broad types of sensory tests?

Answer 10

-analyltical -objective tests looking at overall differences eg.the triangle test, the duo-trio test
and attribute differences eg.he paired difference test, ranking difference test, rating difference test
-affective- subjective tests looking acceptance eg.rate the degree of liking by hedonic rating test
and preference paired preference test
-also there is the descriptive test involving decribing attributes eg. profile tests

Question 11

Triangle test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 11

-tester is given 3 products- 2 the same 1 different and has to identify the different one
+ easy to design and simple for testers to understand
-positional bias could occur or stimulus bias if one product looks slightly different from the other

Question 12

Duo-trio test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 12

-given 3 samples 2 are identical, one of the identical is used as the control and the tester has decide which out of the other 2 is the same as the control
+easy to organise and understand
-tester has 50% chance of getting it right from guessing

Question 13

paired difference test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 13

-2 samples prepared and asked about a difference in a particular attribute eg.saltiness (is a correct answer)
+easy to organise and understand
-has 50% chance of being correct from guessing

Question 14

ranking difference test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 14

-Testers rank samples in order of a particular attribute e.g. sweetness.
+Simple to organise and for testers to understand, Useful when several samples are to be tested for a single characteristic.
-is an ordinal process and doesn’t evaluate differences

Question 15

rating difference test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 15

• asked to rate a particular attribute / characteristic e.g. compare samples for saltiness, sweetness, moistness, crunchiness
  +easy for testers to understand.
  -time consuming

Question 16

paired preference test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 16

-Two samples of a food product are prepared. The tester is asked which product they prefer.
+easy and quick to perform and can discriminate differences between two compared samples.
-does not give information about acceptability of the samples

Question 17

ranking preference test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 17

-Testers rank samples in order of a preference.
+Simple to organise and for testers to understand.
-is an ordinal process so doesn’t look at acceptance

Question 18

hedonic rating test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 18

-Testers choose a rating for a food sample based on a hedonic scale. The hedonic scale can use word, images or smiley faces.
+Provides essential information to food product developers about whether testers like the food. This test can be suitable for younger aged testers by using smiley face icons can be used for the hedonic scale.
-hard to find representative sample of consumers. time consuming

Question 19

profile test- description, advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 19

-Used to profile attributes e.g. flavor profile or texture profile. Once collected the data can be converted to a graphical profile.
+Useful for products that make multiple attributes. Gives a complex description.
-requires trained testers

Question 20

what is a significant result?

Answer 20

one where the results have not likely to have occurred by chance but because of an underlying cause.

Question 21

what are possible ways to improve the reliability of sensory tests?

Answer 21

-there may need to be a specific number of testers
-have professional testers

Question 22

how can fair sensory testing be ensured?

Answer 22

-Use white or light coloured plates
-Good lighting and ventilation
-The temperature of all samples should be the same
-The quantity of each sample should be identical
-Testers should be given water to sip between each sample (some tests require a time delay between each sample).
-Three digit codes should be used to identify the samples
-Counterbalanced order means that if two samples are served, half of the testers receive one sample first and the other half of the testers receive the other sample first