Its Sensing Time

Sensory Evaluation:

What is it?

In today's practical lesson (22 September 2010) for the teaching of Food and Nutrition, the practical lesson was conducted in the form of different stations of sensory evaluation.

Some highlights of the 6 stations of today's Sensory Evaluation :

1. Pepsi Challenge
2. I smell a rat
3. Let them eat cake
4. There's a spy among us
5. Smell Check Point
6. Who moved my Cheese?

Pepsi Challenge:
The aim for conducting this station (Pepsi challenge) is to determine if the respondent's preference and taste perception of coke/pepsi correlates with each other.
Repondents were given 2 cups; one cup filled with coke, while the other filled with pepsi.
NO product information on the drink were given.
Respondents were then write down their preference between coke and pepsi and then conduct the sensory evaluation test and state which cup of drink they prefer.
Interesitng Fact:
I found out that some of my classmates prefer coke in reality, however, from the sensory evlaution, they actually evaluate pepsi as their preferred choice.
Interesting isn't it:)
People's perception really changes.
This evaluation method for Pepsi Challenge: Paired Comparison Test
Here's a picture on the layout of Pepsi Challenge Sensory Evaluation:

I Smell a Rat:
In my perception, I enjoyed and loved this station's sensory evaluation the most.
Why?
This station is so interesting in that sense that repondents were given 5 - 6 testtubes to smell, with each testube consisting of different spices/herbs/seasonings and we were required to evaluate the food item which we had just smelt.
NO product information on the items in the test-tube were given.
Interesitng Fact:
Most of my classmates had different perceptions through their sense of smell, as a result, there were many types of intersting food items being listed down.
E.g. irish cream, green tea, beetroot and many more ...
And when the actual food item is being revealed, we tend to link it back to what we smelt before and wonder at our own perception, like how we could evaluate the food item so far from the actual one.
People's perception really changes.
Here's a picture on the layout of I Smelt a Rat Sensory Evaluation:

Let them eat Cake :
This station was a appetitie stimulating station.
Chocolate cakes were served as the items for sensory evaluation.
Ckaes of 2 different brands were laid out on the table, and us as respondents were suppose to evaluate our sensory preferences with regards to the 2 samples of cake provided on the table.
NO product information on the items in the test-tube were given.
Interesitng Fact:
Most of my classmates, including myself, were linking each cake sample to a familiar brand which we had tasted before and evalute the cake sample of our preference with regards to the sensory factors we would expect from a chocolate cake.
This evaluation method for Let them eat Cake: Triangle Test; Star Diagram

There's a spy among us :
This station was a taste-bud functioning station.
Cups filled with sugar solution of varying concentrations were served to respondents.
We were then have to evaluate the odd-sugar solution amongst the others.
Criteria for being the odd-sugar solution includes:
Weird taste, degree/concentration/intensity of sweetness level, smell and aftertaste.
Interesitng Fact:
Personally, I had the same tastebud perception towards all the sugar solutions.
I had to redo this station twice in order to evaluate my choice.
Most of my classmates, including myself, were having different perceptions in our choice of the odd-one-out sugar solution.
This evaluation method for There's a spy among us: Classic Triangle Test
Here's a picture on the layout of There's a spy among us:

Smell Checkpoint:
This station was a trick station.
Baby food of varying colours were given to respondents to evaluate the flavour of the different samples of baby food.
The criteria for this station was that all respondents were required to wear a nose clip during sensory evaluation of each sample.
Interesitng Fact:
Personally, for all the baby food samples, I evaluated different flavours for each one.
Ranging from: Banana, Strawberry, Melon, Apple and Orange.
HOWEVER, in actual fact, all the baby food samples had the same flavour, the strawberry flavour.
I was tricked.
This station reveals the importance of our sense of smell.
It shows that taste buds alone does not bring out the full taste. It is only through the sense of taste together with the sense of smell that one is able to achieve the full taste of the food product.
It is also proven that taste with taste buds alone without sense of smell
(netronasal perception), is accurate to a small extent. This is so as the human taste buds would connect to a familiar taste which one had tasted before, hence, giving a minimal chance that a respondent choice of flavour could be evaluated correctly.
Here's a picture on the layout of Smell Checkpoint:

Who moved my Cheese:

This sensory evaluation station is a station managed by my group.

In this station, respondents were required to determine the cheese sample with the higher fat content from the 2 cheese samples provided.
The brand of the cheese samples provided comes fro KRAFT
Interesitng Fact:
Interestingly, the cheese with the higher fat content had a lighter shade of yellow as compared to the cheese sample with the lower fat content.
This is a decieving sensory factor in this station.
And results obtained showed that many of the respondents made the wrong cheese sample as their final evaluation.
In conclusion, colour perception to consumers play a large role in constructing their mentality.
E.g. Darker shade of yellow must be the cheese sample with higher fat content, since fat gives a yellow shade to food items.
This evaluation method for Who moved my Cheese: Paired Comparison Test
Here's a picture on the layout of Who moved my Cheese:

WHAT I CAN DO with what I learnt through today lesson?

These stations of sensory evaluation are interactive ideas where I am able to incorporate into my teaching of Sensory Evaluation Lessons in the future.

E.g. The use of Nose Clip is a fun teaching tool to engage the students' interest in learning.
It brings the importance of the sense of smell to a higher level. In addition, students are exposed to the usage of a non-common item (nose clip), building up their awareness to new products through providing such exposure.

Improvisions to conducting this sensory evaluation such as using blindfold/change the environment settings could make learning more interesting and sustaining in students.

 What's your take on these different stations of Sensory Evaluation?

Do leave your comments/questions.

Many many thanks. 

♥ Angela insights of Home Economics