Sensory Test Method

- discrimination/Difference Test
- Ranking
- Scaling
- Consumer preference tests
Difference tests
Ranking
Scaling

Discrimination/Difference tests

- Difference tests are the simplest and most sensitive form of product testing
- They are used to determine:
whether or not a difference in some specific attribute exists between two samples
if one sample is preffered to another
- Hoewer, cannost be used to determine how large is the difference or preference between
samples

Application of Difference tests

- Routine quality control

- Monitoring the effects of change in production (e.g. effect of ingredient substitution,
process modifications, changes in raw material suppliers)
- These tests are often used as the first step in a more complex sensory evaluation process,
with a difference between samples indicating the need for further testing

Commonly Used Difference Tests

- Paired comparison
two samples compared, one to be selected (1-tailed)
where preference is asked either sample can be correct (2-tailed)
- Triangle test
only one response can be correct
- Difference to refference/control
duo-trio
multiple comparison

Example of a Paired Comparison Test

- A paired comparison test was run to evaluate the effect of storage on the flavour of soup
powder. A control sample (A) was compared with a sample which had been subjected to
long-term storage (B). After reconstitution, the samples were coded with three digit
random numbers and presented to a panel of twelve. Six of the panelists were instructed to
taste B first. The panelists were asked Can you detect a difference in flavour between two
samples? Nine of twelve panelists answered YES to this question. Did storage have a
significant effect on the flavour of the soup powder?
- Using a one-tailed binominal table, the minimum number of correct responses needed to
establish a significant difference at the 5% probablility level (i.e. p<0.05) from 12
judgements is 10. Thus, storage had no significant effect on the flavour of the soup
powder.

Ranking Procedures

- Three or more samples, presented at the same time, are arranged in order of intensity or
degree of some attribute e.g. Rank A, B and C in order of increasing sweetness?
- Unbiased serving procedure (i.e. coded samples, interval between tasting, order of
presentation etc..) should be followed
- Number of samples should be no more than 4-6
- Gives no information on the size of the differences between samples

Ranking Analysis of Data

- Rank positions are totaled and differences between totals are tested for significance using
Critical Rank-Sum Difference tables
- If the difference between pairs of rank totals is larger than the tabulated value, the pair of
samples are significantly different at the chosen significance level

Scaling procedures

- A scale may be defined as the instrument used by panelists to make explicit their
perception
- In other words a scale is the ruler with which a panelist measures the size of a sensory
attribute
- Allows the size of sensory attributes in different samples to be measured

Scaling Types of Scale

- Verbal words used to divide the scale

- Numerical uses numbers
- Line / unstructured
- The arrnagement of scale anchors may be:
unipolar scale begins no/0 and ends with very, extremely, 9, etc..
biploar scale begins and ends with extremes e.g. extremely soft to extremely hard
(however, incorrect to design a scale that reads extremely sour to extremely sweet
since sourness and sweetness are two different attributes)
- May be objective or subjective

Unipolar verbal scale (5) point

Saltiness

none weak moderate very extremely
Unipolar verbal scale (9 point)

Bitterness

none slight moderate very extreme

Bipolar verbal comparative scale (5 point)

Sweetness

much less slightly less the same slightly more much more
than standard than standard as standard than standard than standard

Unipolar numerical scale (9 point)

Rancidity
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
absent
Unipolar line slightly
scales moderately very extremely

not sweet very sweet

___|________________________________________________________|_____
no smoothness extremely smooth

___|________________________________________________________|_____
no roughness extremely rough

Bipolar line scale

___|__________________________________________________________|____
extremely smooth extremely rough

Relative to standard line scale

___|__________________________________________________________|____
much less just like much more
than standard standard than standard
Food action scale (9 point)

I would eat this food every opportunity I had

I would eat this food very often
I would frequently eat this food
I like this and would eat it now and than
I would eat this if available but would not go out of my way
I dont like it but would eat it on occasion
I would hardly ever eat this
I would eat this only if there were no other food choices
I would eat this only if I were forced to

Smile scale

Sensory test example: Quantitative Descriptive analysis of Cheese

- Also concerned with: flawour (taste and odour), texture, appearance, niose
- Panel identifies all (or some) of these attributes in typical products
- Vocabulary of descriptive terms developed and defined all assessors contribute
- Scales defined line scales anchored at each end with extremes of attribute intensity
- Several training sessions
- Evaluate real samples
- Overall results based on mean scores of individual panelists
- Statistical analysis of Variance and multivariate methods (e.g. Principal components
analysis)

Descriptive vocabulary for cheese odour

- Pungent Physically penetrating sensation in the nasal cavity. Sharp smelling or tasting,
irritant
- Caramel Dairy caramel, toffee that has been made with sugar or melted further
- Silage Sweet, fermented silage aroma, reminiscent of farmyard
- Sweaty / sour The aromatics reminiscent of perspiration generated foot odour. Sour,
stale, slightly cheesy, moist, stained or odorous with sweet
- Fruity The aromatic blend of different fruity identities
- Mouldy The combination of aromatics associated with moulds. They are usually earthy,
dirty, stale, musty and slightly sour
- Dairy sweet The aromatics associated with sweetened cultured dairy products such as
fruit yoghurt
- Sweet Blend of sweet aromas
- Creamy The smell associated with creamy/milky products

Descriptive vocabulary for flavour

- Buttery Of the nature or containing butter

- Caramel Dairy caramel toffee that has been made with sugar or melted further
- Dairy sweet Taste associated with sweetened cultured dairy products such as fruit
yoghurt. Fruity sweet taste
- Rancid Sour milk, fatty, oxidised, having a rank, unpleasant taste or smell characteristic
of oil and fats when no longer fresh
- Mushroom Organic. The aromatics associated with raw mushrooms
- Oily Oily, fatty, greasy, taste of any kind
- Mouldy The combination of aromatics associated with. They are usually earthy, dirty,
stle, musty and slightly sour
- Nutty The non-specific nut aromatic that is characteristic of several different nuts, e.g.
peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans
- Smoky The penetrating aromatic of charred wood. Tainted by exposure to smoke
- Soapy Detergent like, similar when the food is tainted with i cleansing agent
- Silage Sweet, fermented flavour, reminiscent of farmyard
- Processed Taste of plastic, packing, shallow. To taste artificial. Made by melting,
blending and frequently emulsifying other cheeses
- Sweet Fundamental taste sensation of which sucrose is typical
- Salty - Fundamental taste sensation of which sodium chloride is typical
- Acidic Sour, tangy, citrus-like, the fundamental taste sensation of which lactic acids and
citric acids are typical
- Bitter Chemical-like, disprin, asprin. Taste sensation of which caffeine and quinine are
typical
- Pepper Taste of black pepper, producing a burning, hot sensation at the sides of the
tongue
- Burnt-aftertaste Flavour similar to burned beef, Bovril-aftertaste
- Astringent Mouth-drying, harsh. The complex of drying, puckering and shrinking
sensation in the lower cavity causing contraction of the body tissue
- Strength Intensity or concentration of flavour, ranging from blend, tasteless, to a
concentrated intense flavour
- Balanced Mellow smooth, clean. In equilibrium, well arranged or disposed, with no
constituent lacking or in excess, nothing standing out

Quantitative descriptive scores for cheese odour

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 F ratio P
Pungent 40.4 33.1 20.5 18.3 51.3 22.1 52.7 52.8 47.4 54.9 16.9 0.00
Caramel 22.2 11.6 0.00
Sweaty 48.1 18.7 0.00
Sweat 22.2 6.4 0.01
Creamy 21.6 4.2 0.02
Fruity 19.9 14.1 0.00
Mouldy 6 86.1 0.00
Silage 10.1 56.1 0.00
Dairy sweet 23.5 2.51 0.05

Quantitative descriptive scores for cheese flavour

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 F ratio P
Buttery 33.6 42.2 29.3 28.1 31.2 61.5 27.8 29.5 26.1 27.8 10 0.01
.. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .

Principal components analysis

- Allows a multi-dimensional data matrix to be simplified without substantial loss of
information
- The method does so by calculating components describing as much of the variance
between cheeses as possible
- The results are displayed as 2-dimensional plots. Cheese scores show the relationship
between cheeses, and the score of each cheese on each component is determined by the
loadings of the descriptive vocabulary
- To interpret the analysis, both scores and loadings must be viewed together

Cheese scores on principal components 1 and 2

Tetilla
PC2 9
Blue Shopshire
6

3 Mahon
Appenzeller
0 Wensleydale Cambozola
Gruyere
-3 Fontina
Ambassedeur
-6 Chaumes
Tetilla
-9

-10 -5 0 5 10 PC1
X-expl: 27%, 18%

Cheese loadings on principal components 1 and 2

PC2

0.4
mottling
acidic astringent strength
salty mouldy
0.2 crumby colour mouldy
grainy mouthcoat smouky
 chalky bitter mushroom
fruity pepper openess burnt
0 firmness sweet nutty pungent rancid
caramel sweet soapy sweaty
caramel silage moist
chewy buttery slimy
-0.2 daisweet creamy softness
oily smooth
processed oily
balance rubbery shiny
-0.4

-0.3 -0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3

Use of Sensory Analysis and Preference Measures

- Statistical procedures exist which can be used to relate the preference expressed by a
panel of naive consumers to a sensory profile generated by a trained panel - preference
mapping
- The most desirable product characteristics can be identified and quantified
- New products can be developed to fill a niche in the market
- The acceptability of existing products may be improved

Realationship between composition, flavour perception and consumer preference

Cpd 8
8
pH
Cpd 2 acidic
bitter
7 FAA
Cpd 1,4,5
Moisture
Salty 6
Cpd 6
Cpd 7

1. Premium Chedar 4 5 FDM 2

2. Medium mature Chedar
3. Vegetarian Chedar Fat
Fruity 3 MNFS
4. Mild Chedar buttery
5. Mature Chedar
6. Farmhouse Chedar
7. Light Chedar-type Cpd 3 1 creamy
8. Vintage Chedar