Sensory Evaluation of

PRACTICAL 6 SENSORY EVALUATION OF Foods

FOODS
Structure
6.1 Introduction
6.2 What is Sensory Evaluation?
6.3 Various Tests Involved in the Sensory Evaluation of Foods
6.4 Techniques of Sensory Evaluation
6.5 Requirements for the Evaluation Process
6.6 Taste Sensitivity
6.7 Descriptive Analysis
6.8 Product Descriptors
Activity 1: Determination of the Taste Threshold for the Different Sensations –
Sweet, Salty and Sour
Activity 2: Conduct a Descriptive Analysis of the Given Sample of White Bread on
the Basis of its Sensory Attributes.

6.1 INTRODUCTION
In Unit 8, in the theory course (MFN-008), you may recall studying that when the
quality of a food product is assessed by means of human sensory organs, the
evaluation is said to be ‘sensory’ or ‘subjective’ or ‘organoleptic’. Sensory quality is
a combination of different senses of perception coming into play in choosing and
eating a food. This practical will focus on the sensory evaluation of foods. We will
see how the individual threshold for different sensations varies from individual to
individual. We suggest, before you start this practical, look up the quality attributes
of foods as discussed in Unit 8 and also the description on sensory evaluation
presented in Unit 14 in section 14.4 in the course MFN-008.
Objectives
After studying this practical and undertaking the activities included in this practical,
you will be able to:
• perceive about the individual differences existing for taste stimulation, and
• recognize your own threshold and identification level for different taste
stimulations.

6.2 WHAT IS SENSORY EVALUATION?

Foods have several characteristics that require evaluation by sensory methods. The
various food attributes that are judged on the sensory scale are flavour, texture,
aroma and appearance. Every time the food is eaten, the quality is evaluated or the
judgment is made. The reaction of the consumer on the basis of the sensory
perception serves as an endorsement or proof of the product acceptance.
The sensory evaluation of food is carried out on a scientific basis to ascertain the
product formulations or processing techniques that are anticipated to be successful in
the market place. In the research and development process of a product, trained
sensory panelists evaluate the samples and provide guidance in improvement of the
product. This type of testing wherein the scores are determined by individual
decisions based on the use of senses and do not rely on the mechanical devices, is
known as sensory or subjective evaluation. Thus, sensory evaluation has been defined
as a scientific method to evoke, measure, analyze and interpret those responses to
products as perceived through the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing
(Stone and Sidel, 1995).
Sensory receptors such as olfactory receptors, taste receptors and visual receptors are
used to study the following attributes of food:
1) Appearance
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Principles of Food 2) Taste
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3) Flavour
4) Texture
5) Consistency
You may recall studying about these attributes in Unit 8 in the theory course. Here,
let us briefly review these attributes.
1) Appearance
The appearance of a food can be evaluated in terms of colour, surface characteristics
such as smoothness of a surface, dry surface, glossy surface or the exterior
appearance such as lump formation, thickness or thinness, layering etc.
2) Taste
Individuals respond to a product on the basis of their sensory perception and judge
the product quality differently. The auditory sense is the least used in appreciation of
food quality, however, the senses for taste stimulation has a strong influence on the
acceptability of food quality.
Taste is sensed by taste buds, which you may already know by now, are located in
the papillae on the tongue. Taste buds are located in the epithelium and on the parts
of the tongue where the food contacts the most during chewing and swallowing.
Taste sensations which the taste buds register are sweet, salt, sour and bitter. Taste
buds near the tip of the tongue are more sensitive to sweet and salt, those on the sides
to sour and those near the back to bitter, as illustrated in Figure 6.1.

Figure 6.1: Taste buds on tongue

3) Flavour
Flavour is composed of two subcategories, which are taste and odour. Flavour of a
food is judged on the basis of the sensory message resulting from the combination of
taste and aroma. The temperature at which the food is served may have a very
important influence on the ability to detect taste and to evaluate flavour. The
extremes, whether very hot or cold, limit the ability of people to judge food
accurately. The best temperature range for flavour evaluation is 20-30°C. However,
some foods like ice creams should be evaluated at their serving temperature rather
than at the temperature range ideal for detecting taste and odour.
4) Texture
Texture indicates the characteristic of a food and would include descriptive
parameters like graininess, softness, chewiness, brittleness etc. The textural qualities
of a food have a relationship to the appearance of a product, as described previously
and to its evaluation in the mouth as well. Mouthfeel would include the textural
qualities of a food perceived in the mouth.

5) Consistency

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Both texture and consistency characterize the mouthfeel of the product. As the term Sensory Evaluation of
creamy indicates the consistency in an ice cream but is the textural attribute in the Foods
fudge.
With a brief review on the different attributes of foods, we will move on to describe
the various tests involved in sensory evaluation of food.

6.3 VARIOUS TESTS INVOLVED IN SENSORY

EVALUATION OF FOODS
Tests for sensory evaluation are of three types:
• Difference testing - This is the sensory testing designed to determine whether
detectable differences exist between the products.
• Preference testing - It is the sensory testing to determine the acceptability or
preference between products.
• Descriptive testing - It is the testing which provides information on selected
characteristics of food samples.
Look up Unit 14, sub-section 14.4.1 in Course MFN-008 to get more details about
these tests. We shall focus on techniques of sensory evaluation next.

6.4 TECHNIQUES OF SENSORY EVALUATION

The various techniques used in the above mentioned tests for evaluation of food
samples are given in Table 6.1.
Table 6.1: Techniques of sensory evaluation

Techniques Test characteristic

Single sample This type of test is used to test acceptability and to aid in the decision on
future development of the product.

Paired It is the difference test in which a specific characteristic is to be evaluated

comparison in two samples, and the sample with the greater level of that
characteristic is to be identified.

Duo-trio test Difference test in which two samples are judged against a control to
determine which of the two samples is different from the control.

Triangle test Difference test in which three samples (of which two are same), and the
odd sample is to be identified.

Rank order Preference or difference test in which all samples are ranked in order of
intensity of a specific characteristic.

Descriptive test Use of key or descriptive words in sensory evaluation to characterize

food samples.

Profiling It is a very detailed word description like texture profiling or flavour

profiling or characteristics such as chewiness, adhesiveness, hardness.

Descriptive scale It uses array of words describing a range of intensity of a single

characteristic such as surface colour of a cake can be described as pale,
slightly brown, pleasing golden brown, dark brown, burned etc.
The scales can be designed with an odd number of points usually 5 or 9
point scales.
The above example is that of a 5- point rating scale.

Hedonic scale Hedonic rating range from unacceptable to very acceptable is relatively
easy to construct and is effective when the desirable and undesirable
characteristics of a few samples are taken into account. The 9 point

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Principles of Food hedonic scale can be described as:
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1= like extremely, 2= like very much, 3= like moderately, 4= like
slightly, 5= neither like or dislike, 6= dislike slightly, 7= dislike
moderately, 8= dislike very much, 9= dislike extremely

Smiley scale This is a sequential series of very happy and continuing through to very
unhappy faces used in evaluating food products when respondents are
unable to use the language easily.

The evaluation of food requires a careful analysis of the ways of assessing food, the
properties of food, and the techniques for measuring these characteristics.
Sensory evaluation gives guidelines for the preparation and serving of samples under
controlled conditions so that the biasing factors are minimized.
We will learn about the requirements for the evaluation process next.

6.5 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EVALUATION

PROCESS
Some of the requirements to be kept in mind for the evaluation of the products are
listed herewith:
• People in a sensory test are often placed in individual test booths so that the
judgments they give are their own and do not reflect the opinions of those around
them.
• Samples are labeled with random numbers so that the people they do not form
judgments based on the labels but rather on their sensory experiences.
• Products may be given in different orders to each participant to help measure and
counterbalance for the sequential effects of seeing one product after another.
• Standard procedures may be established for sample temperature, volume and
spacing in time, as needed to control unwanted variation and improve test
precision.
• Clear instructions should be provided to the panelists before the evaluation
process as enumerated in Table 6.2. These instructions should be pretested by
having someone unfamiliar with sensory testing. Instructions regarding the filling
of the evaluation sheet should also be provided to the panelists.
Table 6.2 : Instructions to the panelists

S.No. Instructions

1. Please rinse your mouth with water before starting.

2. Different codes have been provided for sensory evaluation.

3. Taste each of the coded sample in the sequence presented.

4. Rinse your mouth with water and proceed to the next code.

5. You have to fill the evaluation performa code wise.

In any evaluation process, the individual sensitivity to different taste sensations

varies. Let us study more about this in our next section.

6.6 TASTE SENSITIVITY

The concentration of a substance (in saliva) required to trigger the sensation of taste
is much higher than the concentration of a substance (in air) required to provoke the
sensation of odour.

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The four primary tastes are not sensed equally. They are affected by time and Sensory Evaluation of
concentration. For example, salt on the tongue is sensed in a fraction of a second, Foods
while bitter substance require a full second after it comes in contact with the tongue,
however, these bitter sensations tend to linger for a longer duration than any other
sensation.
The concentration needed to bring about a sensation varies from one individual to
another.
The concentration required for identification is known as “threshold”. Individuals
differ in their sensitivity to the four sensations, and the threshold for each of the four
primary tastes is usually not at the same level in any of the individual.
In the following activities we will see how the individual threshold for different
sensations is varying.

6.7 DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS

Sensory methods may be used to quantify the perceived intensities of the sensory
attributes of a product. The quantification can be in terms of scaling of a product for
different perceived sensations. This procedure of quantification is known as
descriptive analysis.
Descriptive analysis is generally used in situations where a detailed specification of
the sensory attribute of a single product is required. These are frequently used in
product development to measure how close a new variation is to the desired product.
However, such testing requires trained panelist so that the results are consistent and
reproducible.
As descriptive analysis is very helpful in defining the quality attributes of a product
and is required in the evaluation of variations during product development, thus, for
your understanding we will conduct one activity to assess the sensory attribute of a
product.
Before we go into the details of product evaluation through descriptive analysis, we
must be familiar with various descriptors or selecting terms used to describe the
sensory attributes of the products. Let us get to know them.

6.8 PRODUCT DESCRIPTORS

Descriptors are selected terms used to describe the sensory attributes of products and
vary from one product to the other. The chosen descriptors should be non redundant
with other terms and should have no overlap with other terms used. Descriptors
should have certain desirable characteristics of being discriminating, representative
of the product quality, precise and reliable, unambiguous and should easily relate to
consumer acceptance or rejection.
Descriptive analysis technique involves judging a product on the basis of its
appearance, texture, taste, flavour and mouthfeel. It is a very helpful technique as the
key words used are made to describe the product for a producible and consistent
analysis.
Although this technique involves both quantitative and qualitative analysis of food by
using various methods as flavour profile technique/method, texture profile technique
and so on. However, these type of descriptive analysis would require trained panelists
for the purpose of evaluation. Thus, for our learning we would conduct a qualitative
descriptive analysis of a product. For example, a slice of white bread in our activity 2
to understand the concept of food analysis.
Before we start with the activity, let us list down various descriptors we would be
using for a slice of white bread.

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Principles of Food Example: A Slice of White Bread
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A slice of white bread should be evaluated on the basis of its appearance, taste,
flavour, texture and mouthfeel. Let us take these attributes one by one to describe the
product characteristics.
• Appearance
As studied earlier in section 6.2 of this practical, the appearance of a product would
involve colour (colour at the center and the colour of the crust), smoothness of the
surface, and uniformity of pores, glossiness or shine.
A slice of bread can be having white/creamy white colour at the center and the brown
colour on the crust. The intensity of the colour can vary both in the center and the
crust. A very light brown colour of the crust indicates inappropriate baking and a
darker shade of brown will indicate over baking of the product.
Smoothness/glossiness is the property of reflection of light from the surface and the
scattering of light by the surface over different angles which indicates smoothness or
roughness. Uniformity of pores indicate the moulding and fermentation of the bread
dough. The smooth surface of the slice can also be related to uniformity of the
surface. More the uniformity in the surface, more smooth it will appear and would
reflect more light. The surface may seem quite shiny but would not have the mirror-
like reflection.
• Taste
Senses for taste stimulation have a strong influence on the acceptability of food
quality. The four primary tastes (sweet, salt, sour and bitter) are not sensed equally.
They are affected by time and concentration. The concentration needed to bring about
a sensation varies from one individual to another. Thus, the perception of each taste
sensation varies from one individual to another. A product may be rated as sweet,
less sweet, very sweet, depending on the individual’s sensitivity to the sweet
sensation. However, it is very important to characterize a product on the basis of the
attributes it should have and then the product can be rated by various individuals. A
slice of bread should be having a pleasant sweet taste. A sourish taste would indicate
the over fermentation or spoilage of breads whereas, slightly bitter taste would
indicate over baking of the product. Thus, the slice of bread can be evaluated in terms
of intensity of sweetness, sourness and bitterness it is having.
• Texture
Texture can be divided into oral texture which involves the mouthfeel characteristics,
phase changes in the oral cavity and the tactile texture perceived when manipulating
the object by hand. The overall texture of this slice of bread both by the sensation of
eyes and taste can be included in the texture profile analysis. Before we go into the
details of the texture profile, we must understand a few textural attributes and their
definitions as indicated in the Table 6.3.
Table 6.3 : Various texture attributes used in the process of evaluation
S.No. Texture Attribute Definition
1. Adhesiveness Force required to separate individual pieces adhering to each
other.
2. Wetness Amount of moisture perceived on the surface of the product,
when in contact with the upper lip.
3. Roughness Degree of abrasiveness of the product’s surface as perceived
by the tongue.
4. Springiness Force with which sample returns to its original size and
shape, after partial compression.
5. Cohesiveness Amount of deformation undergone by the material before
rupture when biting completely through sample with molars.
6. Denseness Compactness of the cross section of the sample after biting
completely through with molars.
7. Fracturability Force with which the sample ruptures when placed between

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 molars and bitten completely down at a fast rate. Sensory Evaluation of
Foods
8. Hardness Force required to bite completely through sample placed
between molars.
9. Adhesiveness to Amount of product adhering on/in the teeth after mastication
teeth of the product.

• Flavour
Bread has its own characteristic baked flavour. This flavour diminishes with shelf-
life. A freshly baked bread would have intense baked flavour than the bread which is
even one day old. With age, the flavour of bread changes from the baked flavour to
sourish flavour, which is indicative of spoilage or ripening. Even a fresh slice of
bread with over fermentation can have ripened flavour. Thus, the flavour can be
assessed on the scale of pleasant baked aroma to sourish aroma.
A key descriptor sheet is provided for your reference in the activity 2 wherein you
would be conducting the sensory evaluation using this.
Now, as you are familiar with the concept of sensory evaluation, let us get started
with our first activity, which is determination of individual taste threshold.

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Principles of Food
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ACTIVITY
1 DETERMINATION OF THE TASTE THRESHOLD FOR
THE DIFFERENT SENSATIONS – SWEET, SALTY, SOUR
Date: …………. Aim: To determine the taste threshold for the three different sensations – sweet, salty
and sour.
Objectives
After conducting the activity included in this practical, you will be able to:
• perceive the individual differences existing for taste stimulation, and
• identify your own threshold and identification level for different taste
stimulations.
Principle
Sensitivity threshold test: Sensitivity tests are used to assess the ability of an
individual to detect the different tastes, odour and feel the presence of specific factors
e.g. astringency tests are used to select and train panel members for evaluating the
quality of products containing spices, salt, acid and sugar. For this purpose, threshold
tests for the recognition of basic tastes or odours are employed for selecting the panel
members. The threshold value is expressed numerically as:
Intensity score key

0 Name or taste of pure water

1 Different from material but quality not identifiable
2 Threshold very weak (taste identification)
3 Weak taste

4 Medium
5 Strong
6 Very strong

7 Extremely strong

These are two different taste thresholds. These include:

1) Stimulation threshold: In this state, the panel member recognizes the taste to be
different from pure water but is unable to identify the taste due to dilution.
2) Identifiable threshold: Here the panel member is able to identify the taste quality
as the taste is pronounced. The panel members are supplied with a series of
beakers containing the increasing concentration of substances with 1 of 4 primary
tastes. The member will start with beaker no. 1 and continue to taste the solution
in other beakers in the increasing numerical order.
Materials Required
Salt solution (%) -0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.5
Sugar solution (%) - 0.05, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.2.
Citric acid (%) - 0.02, 0.04, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0
Spoons
Bowls
Beakers
Plain distilled water

Take a group of at least 10 subjects to carry out the process of sensory evaluation.

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Procedure Sensory Evaluation of
Foods
Now carry out the activity step-by-step as enumerated herewith:
1) Prepare different concentration of sugar (sweet), salt (salty) and citric acid (sour)
as mentioned in the materials required.
2) The beakers should be placed in the increasing order of concentration.
3) The individual members tasting different concentrations should be having plain
distilled water after each tasting.
4) The individual should mark their stimulation threshold and identifiable threshold
in the observation table.
Results and Observations
Now note down your readings in the format given herewith. Under stimulation and
identifiable threshold column in the heading, indicate the total subject participating in
the exercise. Under different concertrations of stimulants, indicate the number of
subjects (out of the total) able to recognize each of the solution concentration:

S. No. Concentration (%) Stimulation Identifiable Your Intensity

threshold (by -- threshold (by -- score*
-----number of -----number of
subjects) subjects)

1. Salt 0.5

2. 0.8

3. 1.0

4. 1.2

5. 1.5

6. Sugar 0.05

7. 0.5

8. 0.7

9. 1.0

10. 1.2

11. Citric acid 0.02

12. 0.04

13. 0.1

14. 0.5

15. 1.0

* Intensity score should be based on the 7-point scale given above under the
principle.

Inference

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Principles of Food ……….. number of people were able to recognize the sweet taste at ……………%
Science sugar solution.
…………… number of people were able to recognize the salty taste at ……………%
salt solution.
…………… number of people were able to recognize the sour taste at ……………%
citric acid solution.

Conclusion
(Comment regarding your threshold and identification level)
………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Submit the activity for evaluation.

………………………………
Counsellor Signature

ACTIV
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2
 Sensory Evaluation of
CONDUCT A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF A GIVEN Foods
SAMPLE OF WHITE BREAD ON THE BASIS OF ITS
SENSORY ATTRIBUTES
Aim: To sensory evaluate the slice of white bread on the basis of appearance, taste, Date: ………….
texture and flavour.
Objectives
After conducting this activity, you will be able to:
• judge the product quality through sensory evaluation, and
• get familiarized with the use of various descriptors used in the evaluation
process.
Principle
Refer section 6.7 and explain what do you understand by descriptive analysis in the
space provided herewith.

Refer to section 6.8 and describe what are descriptors in the space provided herewith:

Materials
Two different samples of white bread slices – coded 001 and 002
Sheet for analysis
Any instructions
Glass of water
Napkins
Sample disposal arrangements
Procedure
Carry out the activity according to the steps enumerated herewith:
1) Read out the instructions carefully (provided in Table 6.2 given earlier in section
6.5).
2) Write the name and code of the sample provided at the top.
3) Fill in the descriptive evaluation proforma for each code separately.
4) Carry out your own individual sensory analysis for the given sample.
5) Take precautions while filling in the proforma for unbiased results.
6) Analyze the data for the product characteristics and report.

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Principles of Food Observation
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Descriptive evaluation Proforma
Sample identified as : ………………………………..
Code of the sample provided : ………………………………..
Sample size : ………………………………..
Serving temperature : ………………………………..

Tick mark the most closely describing anchor word for the listed attributes of the
given sample:
Evaluation criteria Attributes Anchor words
Appearance Colour of the center of the slice white- creamy white
Colour of the crust light brown-golden brown-
dark brown
Uniformity of pores uniform- non uniform
Surface area smooth-rough
Glossiness shiny-dull
Feel hard-soft-sticky
Taste Taste during chewing sweet-bland-sour
After taste sour-bitter-sweet-none
Texture Tissue adhesiveness sticky-tacky-gooey
Brittleness crumbly- crunchy- brittle
Chewiness tender- chewy- tough
Elasticity/springiness spongy- elastic
Hardness soft- firm- hard (dry)
Flavour Flavour before and after biting pleasant baked flavour-sour
-ripened flavour
As you have conducted descriptive evaluation of code 001, next carry out the
descriptive analysis for the code 002.
Sample identified as : ………………………………..
Code of the sample provided : ………………………………..
Sample size : ………………………………..
Serving temperature : ………………………………..

Tick mark the most closely describing anchor word for the listed attributes of the
given sample:
Evaluation criteria Attributes Anchor words
Appearance Colour of the center of the slice white- creamy white
Colour of the crust light brown-golden brown-
dark brown
Uniformity of pores uniform- non uniform
Surface area smooth-rough
Glossiness shiny-dull
Feel hard-soft-sticky
Taste Taste during chewing sweet-bland-sour
After taste sour-bitter-sweet-none
Texture Tissue adhesiveness sticky-tacky-gooey
Brittleness crumbly- crunchy- brittle
Chewiness tender- chewy- tough
Elasticity/springiness spongy- elastic
Hardness soft- firm- hard (dry)
Flavour Flavour before and after biting pleasant baked flavour-sour
-ripened flavour

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Now, when you have carried out the descriptive analysis for both the samples, study Sensory Evaluation of
their product characteristics in detail. Report your findings in the table given below. Foods

S.No. Evaluation Attributes Code 001 Code 002

criteria
1. Appearance Colour of the center of the
slice
Colour of the crust
Uniformity of pores
Surface area

Glossiness
Feel
2. Taste Taste during chewing
After taste

3. Texture Tissue adhesiveness

Brittleness
Chewiness

Elasticity/springiness
Hardness
4. Flavour Flavour before and after biting

Interpretation:
Code 001
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Code 002
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Conclusion
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….

Submit the activity for evaluation.

……………………………..
Counsellor Signature

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