Sensory Testing Methods
Food Preparation & Nutrition: AQA GCSE, topic 5.3.2
Preference Tests
Preference tests show which foods people prefer. Here are two popular preference tests:
Paired preference test
- A taster gets two similar foods to sample.
- The taster indicates which one they prefer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Sensory Testing Methods
What type of test shows what foods people prefer?
Which discrimination test is considered more reliable?
What do we call tests that are designed to see if tasters can taste the difference between products?