Controls for Test Room, Products, and Panel: Product Controls

variable, a packaging change, a storage variable, and so on. One of the primary respon-
sibilities of the sensory analyst is to control the early handling, the preparation, and the
presentation of each product. These controls ensure that extraneous variables are not
introduced and that no real treatment variables are obscured.
The preparation area should be situated adjacent to the test area. However, the air
handling system should be structured so that the test area has positive pressure that feeds
into the preparation area, which in turn contains the air return system as well as a supple-
mentary exhaust.

3.3.2  Sample Preparation

3.3.2.1  Supplies and Equipment
In addition to the necessary major appliances, the controlled preparation of products
requires adequate supplies and equipment, such as
• Scales, for weighing products and ingredients
• Glassware, for measurement and storage of products
• Timers, for monitoring of preparation procedures
• Stainless-steel and glass equipment, for mixing and storing products, and so on

3.3.2.2 Materials
Equipment used for the preparation and presentation of samples must be carefully selected
to reduce the introduction of biases and new variables. Most plastic cutlery, storage con-
tainers, and wraps or bags are unsuitable for the preparation and storage of foods, bever-
ages, or personal care products. The transfer of volatiles to and from the plastic can change
the aroma and/or flavor characteristics of a product.
Wooden materials should not be used for cutting boards, bowls, mixing utensils, or
pastry boards. They are porous and absorb aqueous and oil-based materials, which are
then easily transferred from the wood to the next product that the wood contacts.
Containers used for storage, preparation, or serving should therefore be glass, glazed
china, or stainless steel because of the reduced transfer of volatiles with these materials.
Plastic, which has been pretested for low odor transfer, should be used only when the test
product(s) will be held for less than 10 min in the container during and prior to the test.

3.3.2.3  Preparation Procedures

The controlled preparation of products requires careful regulation and monitoring of pro-
cedures used, with attention given to
• Amount of product to be used, measured by weight or volume using precise
equipment (volumetric cylinders, gram scales, etc.)
• Amount of each added ingredient (as above)
• The process of preparation, regulation of time (stopwatch), and temperature
(thermometers)
• Holding time, defined as the minimum and maximum time after preparation that
a product can be used for a sensory test

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Sensory Evaluation Techniques, 5th Ed., Ch. 3

3.3.3  Sample Presentation

3.3.3.1  Container, Sample Size, and Other Particulars
The equipment and procedures used for product presentation during the test must be
carefully selected to reduce introduction of biases and new variables. Attention should be
given to control of the following:
Serving containers. Again, these are preferably glass or glazed china, not plastic
unless tested for lack of odor/flavor/fragrance transfer under the time and temperature
conditions of the test.
Serving size. Extreme care must be given to regulating the precise amount of product
to be given to each subject. Technicians should be carefully trained to deliver the correct
amount of product with the least amount of handling. Special equipment may be advanta-
geous for measuring precise amounts of a product for sensory testing.
Serving matrix. For most difference tests, the product under test is presented on its
own, without additives. Products such as coffee, tea, peanut butter, vegetables, meats, and
so on, are served without condiments or other adjuncts that may normally be used by
consumers, such as milk, bread, butter, spices, and so on. In contrast, for consumer tests
(preference/acceptance tests), products should be presented as normally consumed: coffee
or tea with milk, sugar, or lemon, as required; peanut butter with bread or crackers; and
vegetables and meat with spices, according to the consumer’s preference. Products that
are normally tasted in or on other products (condiments, dressings, sauces, etc.) should be
evaluated in or on a uniform carrier that does not mask the product characteristics. These
include a flour roux (a cooked flour-and-water base used for sauces), a fondant (sugared
candy base), and sweetened milk (for vanilla and similar spices and flavorings).
Serving temperature. After the sample is distributed into each serving container, and
just before serving, the product should be checked to determine if it is at the appropri-
ate temperature. Most sensory laboratories develop standard preparation procedures that
determine the needed temperature in the preparation container necessary to ensure the
required temperature after delivery to the tasting/smelling container. The use of standard
procedures greatly reduces the need for monitoring of each individual portion.

3.3.3.2  Order, Coding, and Number of Samples

As part of any test, the order, coding, and number of samples presented to each subject
must be monitored.
The order of presentation should be “balanced” so that each sample appears in a given
position an equal number of times. For example, these are the possible positions for three
products, A, B, and C, to be compared in a ranking test:

ABC — ACB — BCA — BAC — CBA — CAB (3.1)

Such a test should be set up with a number of subjects that is a multiple of six so as
to permit presentation of the six possible combinations an equal number of times (see
Chapter  4). The presentation also can be random, which may be achieved by drawing
sample cards from a bag or by using a compilation of random numbers (see Table 19.1).
Labels can be printed from a computer to make the sample labeling easier. Odorous tape
or odorous markers should never be used to label sample containers.

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 Controls for Test Room, Products, and Panel: Panelist Controls

The codes assigned to each product can be biasing; for example, subjects may subcon-
sciously choose samples marked A over those marked with other letters. Therefore, single
and double letters and digits are best avoided. In addition, letters or numbers that repre-
sent companies, area codes, and test numbers or samples should not be used. Most sensory
analysts rely on the table of three-digit random numbers for product coding. Codes should
not be very prominent, either on the product or on the score sheet. They can be clearly yet
discreetly placed on the samples and score sheets to reduce confusion as to sample identi-
fication and to simultaneously reduce potential biases.
The number of samples that can be presented in a given session is a function of both
sensory and mental fatigue in the subject. With cookies or biscuits, eight or ten may be
the upper limit, while with beer, burnout may occur with six or eight samples. Products
with a high carryover of flavor, such as smoked or spicy meats, bitter substances, or
greasy textures, may allow only one or two samples per test. On the other hand, visual
evaluations can be done on series of 20–30 samples, with mental fatigue as the limiting
factor.

3.3.4  Product Sampling

The sensory analyst should determine how much of a product is required for evaluation
and should know the history of the products to be tested. Information about prior han-
dling of experimental and control samples is important in the design of the test and inter-
pretation of the results. A log book should be kept in the sensory laboratory to record
pertinent sample data:
• The source of the product: When and where it was made? Sample identification
is necessary for laboratory samples (lab notebook number) as well as production
samples (date and machine codes).
• The testing needs: How much product will be required for all of the tests to be
run, and possibly rerun, for this evaluation? All of the product representing a
sample should come from one source (same place, same line, same date, etc.). If
the product is not uniform, attempts should be made to blend and repackage the
different batches.
• The storage: Where has the sample been and under what conditions? If two prod-
ucts are to be compared for a processing or ingredient variable, it is not possible
to measure the treatment effect if there are differences in age, storage temperature
and humidity, shipping storage and humidity, packaging differences, and so on;
these factors can cloud the measurement.

3.4  PANELIST CONTROLS

The way in which a panelist interacts with the environment, the product, and the test
procedure are all potential sources of variation in the test design. Control or regulation of
these interactions is essential to minimizing the extraneous variables that may potentially
bias the results.

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