EXPERIMENT 1 :

IDENTIFICATION OF BASIC TASTE, UMAMI TASTE AND SMELL/AROMA

OBJECTIVES:

1. Identify the four basic taste and umami

2. Identify the different taste receptors (and therefore different parts of the
tongue) are most sensitive to different tastes.
3. Describe the smell or aroma of food.
4. Understand the smell pathway in food evaluation.

INTRODUCTION

Smell and taste belong to our chemical sensing system (chemosensation). The
complicated processes of smelling and tasting begin when molecules released by the
substances around us stimulate special nerve cells in the nose, mouth, or throat. These
cells transmit messages to the brain, where specific smells or tastes are identified.

Olfactory (small nerve) cells are stimulated by the odors around us-the fragrance from a
rose, the smell of bread baking. These nerve cells are found in a tiny patch of tissue high
up in the nose, and they connect directly to the brain.

Gustatory (taste nerve) cells react to food or drink mixed with saliva and are clustered in
the taste buds of the mouth and throat. Many of the small bumps that can be seen on the
tongue contain taste buds. These surface cells send taste information to nearby nerve
fibers, which send messages to the brain.

The common chemical sense, another chemosensory mechanism, contributes to our

senses of smell and taste. In this system, thousands of free nerve endings-especially on

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the moist surfaces of the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat-identify sensations like the sting
of ammonia, the coolness of menthol, and the "heat" of chili peppers.

We can commonly identify four basic taste sensations:

• sweet
• sour
• bitter
• salty

Certain combinations of these tastes-along with texture, temperature, odor, and the
sensations from the common chemical sense-produce a flavor. It is flavor that lets us
know whether we are eating peanuts or caviar.

Umami is a Japanese word that roughly translates into English as "robust" or "delicious."
Umami can also be described as heartiness, savoriness, or fullness of the mouth.

Umami can be perceived by taste alone. Although the presence of other basic tastes
(sweet, salty, sour, and bitter) does make umami more apparent, the entire sensation is
experienced on the tongue. This categorizes umami as a basic taste, not a flavor. Despite
this fact, umami has not always been considered a basic taste in America. In the 1950's,
the FDA categorized umami as a flavor enhancer because it requires the presence of other
tastes in order to be perceived. It wasn't until 1990 at an international symposium that
umami was widely accepted as the fifth basic taste.

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A) DETERMINATION TEST FOR FOUR BASIC TASTE AND ‘UMAMI’.

Procedure:
1. Rinse your mouth by using the distilled water prepared before tasting each
sample.
2. Begin with the sample from left until right.
3. You are given 20ml sample solution. Put sample in your mouth and let it spread
across the surface of your tongue especially at the sensitive area for taste.
4. If the sample taste like plain water, mark (0) . If you are not sure what is the taste
mark (?).
5. Your task is to identify the four basic taste and umami, if possible.
6. You may retaste as often as you need to.

Evaluation form for Identifying basic taste

Name:
Date:
Sample Code Taste quality

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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B) DETERMINATION TEST FOR SMELL

Name:
Date:

Procedure:

You are given sample in a covered cup. Open the cover slightly, and smell 3 times.
Close back the cover. Try to identify the smell and write your answer in right column
and the description of the smell. You may resmell as often as you need to.

Evaluation form for Identifying smell/aroma

Sample code Smell identification /escription

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

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6)

7)

8)

9)

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EXPERIMENT 2 :

DIFFERENCE TESTS

OBJECTIVES:

1. Determine whether there exists a perceptible difference concerning a given

attribute to the food sample.
2. To detect taste thresholds such as determining the concentration of a flavor in a
food product.
3. Interprate the results of the sensory data

INTRODUCTION

There are three fundamental types of sensory tests: preference/acceptance tests,

discriminatory tests and descriptive tests. Preference/acceptance tests are affective tests
based on a measure of preference or a measure from which relative preference can be
determined. The personal feeling of a panelist toward the product directs his response.

Discriminatory tests are used to determine whether a difference exists between samples.
The panelist does not allow his personal likes and dislikes to influence his response.
Laboratory difference panels can be used to determine if there is a difference among
samples. Descriptive tests are used to determine the nature and intensity of the
differences. In this publication several commonly used experimental methods are
described with examples of the questionnaires, their application, and statistical analyses.
.
The tests to determine a difference between samples include the triangle test,the simple
paired comparisons test, the Scheffé paired comparjsons test, the duo-trio test,the
multiple comparisons test, ranking/scoring, and ratio-scaling. Examples of these tests
and sample questionnaires follow.

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A) TRIANGLE TEST

Procedure:

7. Rinse your mouth by using the distilled water prepared before tasting each
sample.
8. Begin with the sample from left until right.
9. You may retaste as often as you need to.

Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:

You are given three samples. Two of the samples are identical and third is different.
Begin tasting with the sample on your left. Identify the odd sample.

______ _______ _______

Name:

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B) SIMPLE PAIRED COMPARISON TEST

Procedure:

1. Rinse your mouth by using the distilled water prepared before tasting each
sample.
2. Begin with the sample from left until right.
3. You may retaste as often as you need to.

Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:

You are given two samples. Begin tasting with the sample on your left. Indicate
which sample is sweeter.

______ _______

B) DETERMINATION TEST FOR SMELL

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C) DUO-TRIO TEST.

Procedure:

1. Rinse your mouth by using the distilled water prepared before tasting each
sample.
2. Begin with the sample from left until right.
3. You may retaste as often as you need to.

Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:

On your tray you have a marked control sample ( R) and two coded samples. One
sample is identical with (R) and the other is different. Which of the coded samples is
identical with R?

______ _______

B) DETERMINATION TEST FOR SMELL

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EXPERIMENT 3 :

SCORING TEST

OBJECTIVES:

1. Evaluate the intensity of some specified characteristic and record the

judgement on a graduated scale.
2. To understand the descriptive terms used in the evaluation.
3. Familiar with the concepts of additional sensation as well as the threshold
tests.

INTRODUCTION:

Scoring is a form of rating using a numerical scale. The numbers used in scoring from an
interval or ratio scale (i.e., the different scores have a defined and mathematical
relationship to each other). Scoring is used for evaluating the intensity of one or more
attributes. The recommended number of assessors is 1 or more experts, 5 or more trained
assessors, 20 or more assessors. The assessor assigns to each sample a value according to
a predetermined scale e.g.,
descriptive, line etc.

The number of assessors will vary according to the grading method applied. The results
can be summarized as for classifications and maybe used to make a decision about a food
, eg its price or accept/reject and etc.

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Procedure:

1. Rinse your mouth by using the distilled water prepared before tasting each
sample.
2. Begin with the sample from left until right.
3. You may retaste as often as you need to.

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Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:
Sample code:

You are given three samples. Begin tasting with the sample on your left. Mark (x) at
the scale below that represents your evaluation.

Colour

light yellow- dark yellow-

brown brown

Air space

very small very big

Taste

not crispy very crispy

Saltiness

not salty very salty

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Texture

not crumbly very crumbly

Likeness

strongly strongly
dislike like

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Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:
Sample code:

You are given three samples. Begin tasting with the sample on your left. Mark (x) at
the scale below that represents your evaluation.

Colour

light yellow- dark yellow-

brown brown

Air space

very small very big

Taste

not crispy very crispy

Saltiness

not salty very salty

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Texture

not crumbly very crumbly

Likeness

strongly strongly
dislike like

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Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:
Sample code:

You are given three samples. Begin tasting with the sample on your left. Mark (x) at
the scale below that represents your evaluation.

Colour

light yellow- dark yellow-

brown brown

Air space

very small very big

Taste

not crispy very crispy

Saltiness

not salty very salty

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Texture

not crumbly very crumbly

Likeness

strongly strongly
dislike like

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EXPERIMENT 4 :
RANKING TEST

INTRODUCTION

Ranking is an extension of the paired-preference test. Many of the advantages of the

paired-preference test apply to ranking. These include simplicity of instructions to
participants, a minimum amount of effort to conduct, uncomplicated data handling, and
minimal assumptions about level of measurement, as the data are treated as ordinal.
Three or more coded samples are presented simultaneously, sufficient in amount so that
the panelist can retaste the product. The number of samples tested is dependent upon the
panelists’s span of attention and memory as well as physiological considerations. With
untrained or naïve panelists, no more than four to six samples may be included in a test.
The panelist is asked to assign an order to the samples according to his or her preference.

OBJECTIVE:

1. Understand about level of measurement in sensory evaluation of food.

2. Assign an order to the samples according to his or her preference.
3. Collect primary data from consumer panelist for decision making.

Procedure:

1. Rinse your mouth by using the distilled water prepared before tasting each
sample.
2. Begin with the sample from left until right.
3. You may retaste as often as you need

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Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:

You are given FOUR samples. Rank these samples for sweetness. The sweetest
sample is ranked first, the second sweetest sample is ranked second, the third sweetest
sample is ranked third and the least sweet sample is ranked fourth. Place the code
numbers on the appropriate lines.

______ ______ ______ ______

1 2 3 4

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EXPERIMENT 5 :

HEDONIC TEST

OBJECTIVES:

1. Creating questions that is clear and can be understood by consumers

2. Decide how much he/she likes or dislikes the product and to mark the scales
accordingly.
3. Determine market demand or to be used for market segmentation or related
demographic tabulations.

INTRODUCTION:

Food acceptability is often referred to as liking, preference, enjoyment, selection and

consumption of a food or drink or food quality. Food acceptability represents different
forms of behaviour to food products. It is therefore vital that the objective of any
consumer study is clearly defined in advance and the experimental design and
questionnaires are carefully designed. For example, "How much do you like" is not the
same as "how much do you eat" because consumption is influenced by price, availability,
whether the consumer is on a diet etc. The selection and choice of food by an individual
are determined by factors resulting from both the food product and the individual. The
figure below illustrates how these factors relate to each other in influencing consumer
acceptability.

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Procedure:

1. Rinse your mouth by using the distilled water prepared before tasting each
sample.
2. Begin with the sample from left until right.
3. You may retaste as often as you need to.

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Evaluation form
Name:
Date:
Panel:

Taste these samples and check how much you like or dislike each one.

1. Sample code :_____

Extremely dislike extremely like

2. Sample code :_____

Extremely dislike extremely like

3. Sample code :_____

Extremely dislike extremely like

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 4. Sample code :_____

Extremely dislike extremely like

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References:

1. Amerine, M.A., Pangborn, R.M., and Roessler, E.B.: Principals of Sensory

Evaluation of Food. New York Academic Press: 1965.
2. ASTM, 1968. Manual on Sensory Testing Methods, no. 434. American Society for
Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa.
3. Lawless,H.T, and Heymann, H. (1998). Sensory Evaluation of Food:Principles and
Practices, Chapman & Hall, New York.
4. Stone, H. and Sidel, J.L. (1993). Sensory Evaluation Practices. 2nd ed. Academic
Press, Inc. New York.

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