Sensory evaluation involves evaluating the sensory properties (appearance, flavor, texture) of food through sight, smell, and taste. It follows several key steps: examining appearance, smelling aroma, feeling texture when cut or chewed, and describing taste. There are various types of sensory tests, including ranking, rating, and triangle tests, each used to evaluate different attributes. Sensory evaluation must be conducted systematically, with careful preparation of samples, instructions, and neutral testing conditions. Results are often presented with tables, charts, or graphs to facilitate analysis and inform decisions about food products.

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Chapter 3
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AT A GLANCE
By the end of this chapter, you will be
able to:
• Apply appropriate criteria in the
sensory evaluation of food
• Identify different ways to conduct
sensory evaluation
• Apply appropriate steps in
conducting sensory evaluation
• State the reasons for conducting
sensory evaluation
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• Sensory evaluation is the evaluation of the
sensory properties of food (appearance,
flavour, texture)
• It can be carried out by the following steps:
1. look at the food and describe the overall
appearance
2. smell the food and describe its aroma
3. cut the food and feel its texture
4. chew the food and describe the taste and
mouthfeel
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Introducing sensory evaluation

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Sensory properties of food
Appearance
• Involves the sense of sight
• Can be described in terms of colour, size,
shape, consistency and crumb
• Example: golden brown, small, round,
smooth, coarse

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Sensory properties of food
Texture
• Involves the senses of sight and
touch
• Mouthfeel is the sensation when
we bite and chew food
• Different cooking methods
produce different textures
• Example: soft, chewy, crispy,
sticky, grainy

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Sensory properties of food
Flavour
• Flavour is produced by a combination
of taste and aroma
• Taste
– The taste buds on our tongue enable us to
detect the different tastes of food
– Example: sweet, spicy, bland, buttery, nutty
• Aroma
– Involves the sense of smell
– Detected by the nose
– Example: fragrant, burnt, floral, fishy, fruity

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Types of Sensory Tests
Ranking test
• Ranking of food samples according to a
specific property e.g. sweetness
• Ranking of food samples according to the
tester’s preference to find out the popularity
of each food sample
Sample code Ranking order
315 2
837 1
642 3
315 642837

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Types of Sensory Tests
Rating test
• Rating of food samples
according to a scale to
find out the degree of
preference for each food
sample
Sample code Degree of
preference
315 5
837 3
642 4315 642837
1 – dislike a lot
2 – dislike moderately
3 – neutral
4 – like moderately
5 – like a lot

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Types of Sensory Tests
Triangle test
• Three samples are given where one of the
samples is different from the rest. Tester is
asked to identify the odd sample
• Used to find out if the difference between
two similar samples can be detected
315 642837
Sample
code
642
Reason(s) This
sample is
sweeter

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Conducting Sensory Tests
• Sensory tests should be conducted in a fair
and accurate manner
• You can follow the steps below when
conducting a sensory test:
Decide on the test to use1
Select the testers based on the
requirements of the test
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Conducting Sensory Tests
Prepare the response sheets
• Give clear instructions
• Leave enough space for testers to
write their responses
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Prepare the food samples
• Label samples with code numbers
• Serve samples at the same amounts
and under the same conditions
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Provide proper conditions for testing
• Explain the test procedures to testers
• Provide testing booths to separate
testers
• Provide a glass of water to clear the
taste after each sampling
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Conducting Sensory Tests
Conduct the test
• Make sure the test area is quiet
• Give testers enough time to taste
each sample
• Do not allow testers to communicate
with each other
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Gather results and draw conclusions
• Collect the test results
• Use tables, pie charts, graphs or star
diagrams to present your findings
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Plan further actions
• Make decisions based on the results of
the sensory test
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Presenting Test Results
• Table
• Pie chart

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Presenting Test Results
• Graph
• Radar chart

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Presenting Test Results
Radar chart
• Describes the intensity of the sensory
properties of food samples by marking the
scores on the axes
• Used to compare the sensory properties of
two or more food samples

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Reasons for Sensory Evaluation
In the food industry, sensory evaluation is
conducted to:
• Check if the food product meets the standard
and remains consistent across different batches
• Improve on the quality by modifying the recipe
• Determine consumers’ acceptance and
preference
• Compare similar food products
• Investigate specific features of an ingredient or
food product, e.g. the texture of noodles