Sensory evaluation is the process of using your senses to evaluate a food product.This can be done for fun or for marketing purposes.You can get information about a given food by examining its appearance, tasting the food, and creating an ideal environment for the evaluation.
Step 1: The color of the food can be determined by looking at it.
You can look at the food with your eyes.To get a better look at the color, remove it from the test container.What color do you think the food is?It is helpful to note if the color is light or intense.It is a good idea to note if the color is consistent.If a liquid is transparent or not, note it.
Step 2: To see the texture of the food, feel it with your fingers.
The food should be removed from the container.If you touch it, you can see if it is soft or hard.If you like, you can write down any notes about the texture.Touch the surface to see if it is smooth or rough.A coarse sugar might remind you of sand.
Step 3: You can note any sound by working the food with your fingers.
The food should be pressed between your fingers.Listen for the sound of crunching or crackling.If the food has a lot of small bits, it's a good idea to hear if the pieces make noise when they brush past one another in the container.To catalog your thoughts, make notes.
Step 4: If the packaging suits the food, look at it.
You can inspect the food's packaging with your eyes and hands.It's a good idea to notice if the packaging makes it easier to eat.Instructions may be worthy of comment.Write down any information about the packaging of the food.Does the packaging allow you to eat the food?Does the diameter of the straw fit in the hole that is cut for the juice box?
Step 5: You can smell the food.
To inhale deeply, hold your nose to the edge of the container.Take note of the smells you smell.Write down any associations.You might smell something in the food that you are smelling.A memory might be triggered by the smell.If corn is an ingredient, a cereals may smell like corn.A chocolate chip cookie smells similar to your grandma's house.If you can't smell the food, break it up with your fingers.
Step 6: To find the texture of the food, taste it.
You can feel the texture of the food when you bite it.The texture of the food may be different when you eat it.If the food is comforting, make notes about how you feel about it.You might think about it if it hurts between your teeth.It is helpful to think of texture on a scale of 1-10.If you are comparing different samples, a numerical system can help.The texture of the food may affect how easy it is to swallow and eat.
Step 7: The flavor of the food can be tasted.
Move the food over your tongue.Some areas of your tongue are more sensitive to sweet than others, so this will help you experience all the flavors of the food.It's a good idea to note if the food tastes different or the same.If you want to remember the taste of the food in the future, you need to write down your impressions of it, not just good or bad, but at least five phrases.Rate the food's savoriness, sourness, and spiciness.You can do it on a scale of 1-10.It is helpful to think about what you would change about the food you are tasting.If you can remember the aftertaste, note it.When tasting certain types of lasagna, you might notice that it tastes like fresh tomatoes, pecorino cheese and too much oregano.Maybe it reminds you of a bad lasagna you had in a frozen dinner and you don't like it.It is not spicy and not sour.The noodles are dry and could use more sauce.
Step 8: The smell-free area is a good place to hold the test.
If you want to get the clearest impression of a food, hold your sensory evaluation in a quiet place.The way a food tastes may be affected by other smells in the area.A clean space will help you concentrate on the sample.Your sense of smell and taste is best in the morning.It's a good time to have an evaluation.
Step 9: To cleanse your palate, set out water.
If you will be trying multiple samples, have some sips of water.The smell and taste of one food will not be messed up by the next one.You can cleanse your palate by drinking a few sips between foods.If your food sample is oily, crunching on a cleansing food, such as raw carrots, before sipping water can cleanse your palate of some residual fats.
Step 10: As you go to different places, record your impressions.
You can write down your thoughts on each dish on a notepad.It can be hard to record your thoughts after you taste a lot of different foods.You should take lots of notes to record your thoughts.
Step 11: If you want to determine likability, use a preference test.
Preference tests can be used to determine if you like or dislike a food product.If you don't like the taste of a particular muffin, it's a preference test.Your testers will be able to focus on their notes if you let them know thatlikability is most important.You might say at the beginning of the test, "Today, I want to find out if you like this muffin or not."
Step 12: If you want feedback on a product attribute, use a discrimination test.
Discrimination tests can be used to judge a product's color preference.A marketing study about whether you prefer green mint chip ice cream or white could be an example of a discrimination test.By telling your testers what you want feedback on, they can tailor their notes accordingly.You might say at the beginning of the test, "Today, we want to find out which color of ice cream you like best."