5.3.2

Sensory Testing Methods

Test yourself

Preference Tests

Preference tests show which foods people prefer. Here are two popular preference tests:

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Paired preference test

  • A taster gets two similar foods to sample.
  • The taster indicates which one they prefer.
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Hedonic rating test

  • Tasters try various different foods.
  • Tasters rate the foods on a scale.

Discrimination Tests

Discrimination tests are designed to see if tasters can taste the difference between products.

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Triangle test

  • Tasters try three foods:
    • Two are the same.
    • One is slightly different.
  • Tasters select the one they think is different from the other two.
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A not A test

  • Tasters try a sample.
  • Tasters try two more samples.
    • From these two samples, tasters pick the one they think is the same as the first sample.
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Reliability

  • Triangle tests are considered slightly more reliable than A not A tests.
  • This is because tasters in triangle tests are less likely to guess the right answer than in A not A tests.

Jump to other topics

1Food Preparation Skills

2Food, Nutrition & Health

3Food Science

4Food Safety

5Food Choice

6Food Provenance

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