Sensory Testing Flashcards
5 key types of sensory testing
Ranking test
Triangle test
Paired preference test
Profiling test
Hedonic test
How does a ranking test work
Foods tested
Tasters order foods from lowest to highest (higher is best, lower is worst) for certain characteristics e.g sweetness, crispiness
Ranks for each food totalled
How does a triangle test work
(Type of discrimination test)
3 food products tasted, 2 are the same and 1 is slightly different
The taster has identify which of the 3 samples Is the different one e.g fat free
How does a paired preference test work
2 slightly different foods are tasted e.g cookies and the taster chooses their favourite
How does a profiling test work
Tasters rate certain characteristics of the food out of 5 e.g taste, texture, aroma, spiciness, sweetness
Average rating for each characteristic is then calculated to make a food profile e.g a star profile to visually show the results
How does a hedonic test work
People rate a variety of food using a scale e.g 1-5 or hate- love
How a fair and unbiased sensory test should be set up
1) Large number of tasters for testing panel
2) Blind test (tasters not told which sample is which)
3) Tasters work on own (not influenced by others)
4) Tasters given clear instructions on what to do
5) Only small sample of each food given (so they don’t get too full before the final samples)
6) Tasters drink water between samples to wash taste away
7) After the testing is complete, the results can be analysed to see which sensory characteristics of the food need improving
