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Unit 1 The Science of Food
A food may have a pleasant taste but a disagreeable texture. A
biscuit may look light and fl aky but taste bitter. All these factors
need to be evaluated.
Setting Up Taste Test Panels
Setting up a taste test panel requires thought and preparation.
Researchers must try to remove any factors that could sway testers.
Such factors include infl uences from other testers, the environment
of the testing room, and psychological biases. Researchers must
also create special forms for testers to use in rating samples and
recording responses.
Controlling Infl uences from Other Testers
The comments and body language of other panelists can easily
affect the views of taste test panel members. Researchers can use a
number of techniques to control such infl uences. Each tester may be
isolated in a booth so he or she cannot see facial expressions of others.
Products may be tested by one person at a time. Panelists may also
receive strict instructions to make no comments or sounds that could
sway other tasters.
Isolated taste testing can be hard to arrange in most classroom
settings. For class experiments to be valid, students must do their
evaluations alone. There should not be any talking or nonverbal
signals until everyone has tasted and recorded his or her opinion.
In most cases, controlling these variables will be based on an honor
Computers and
the Senses
Computers cannot replace
human taste testers. However,
new software can speed the
evaluation of taste test results. Light-
weight “pads” enable computers to recognize
handwritten data. Taste testers can record
their opinions directly into computers using
screens that look like paper ballots.
Results that once took days and hours
to tabulate can be computer generated in
minutes. Other advantages food scientists
fi nd in using computers in sensory
evaluation include
• portability to any
environment
• ease of use and training
• fl exibility for evaluating various
food products
• reduction of incomplete ballots
• savings of time and money
• increased accuracy in tabulating results
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