Sensory Testing Methods 2
Food Preparation & Nutrition: AQA GCSE, topic 5.3.3
Grading Tests
Sensory tests give food companies a good sense of how much consumers do or don't like their products. Grading tests analyse food characteristics.
Ranking test
- Tasters taste food samples.
- Tasters order the food samples from lowest to highest for a characteristic (e.g. texture, smell).
- Scores are counted and ranked.
Rating test
- Tasters taste food samples.
- Tasters use a scale (numerical or otherwise) to rate different characteristics.
Profiling test
- Tasters taste food samples.
- Tasters use a scale (numerical or otherwise) to rate different characteristics.
- Those conducting the test work out an average rating for each characteristic.
- Based on these average ratings, those conducting the test create a food profile which can be represented visually (e.g. using a star diagram).
Fair Food Testing
It's important that food tests aren't biased and are conducted fairly. Here are some factors to consider for fair testing:
Sufficient tasters
- You need to have a sufficient number of tasters sitting on the panel.
Blind testing
- Tasters must not know what the samples are before trying. This is called blind testing.
Independent work
- Tasters should not work with other participants in case these participants influence their answers.
Small sample sizes
- Sample sizes should be small so that tasters don't fill up too quickly.
Access to water
- Tasters should be given water to drink between tastings so that they can get rid of the taste of the previous sample.
Testing environment
- The testing environment should be:
- Quiet.
- Clean.
- If multiple testing areas are being used, they should be lit the same so that the samples look the same to everyone.
Test yourself on Sensory Testing Methods 2
What type of food test analyses food characteristics?
In which type of grading test is a scale not used?
Which of the following is a grading test?
What do we call it when tasters do NOT know what the samples are before tasting?
Which of the following are ways of making food testing fair?