Sensory evaluation We all often say when tasting something we like, ‘that’s nice’ which is an indication that we like what we have just eaten. However a more accurate way is needed to record the detail of what we think of a food product, its texture, flavour, aroma and appearance. There are many methods to carry out food tasting, the process is known as sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation method called star profiling is going to be used to test the fruit salad product. Let look at it in further detail.

Step 1 - Linking your task to the evaluation of the product. Your task was to: design a healthy fruit dessert. The dessert needed to be: General appearance ‘Healthy’ – low in sugar and fat. Aroma Contain a selection of fruits and help with the ’5 a day goal Texture Have interesting flavour combinations. Contain a range of textures and colours. From the above specifications we can find the evaluation points for the star profile opposite. 5 a day goal Flavour combinations

Step 2 – selecting a scale and awarding points. A number of scales can be used for this, two example are given below. It does not matter which you select providing you consistently use the same scale. Scale A 1 - excellent 2- very good 3 – good 4 – average 5 – poor Sensory analysis of fruit salad Texture General appearance Flavour 5 a day goal Aroma Scale A 1 - excellent 2- very good 3 – good 4 – average 5 – poor Scale B 5 - excellent 4- very good 3 – good 2 – average 1 – poor What does this tell you about the fruit salad? Analysis - Looking at the star profile you will notice that one evaluation point – flavour was disappointing. Conclusion – problem with flavour. Using Scale A – after completing a sensory evaluation test on the fruit salad, the awarded points can be marked on the star profile and joined up using a straight line. How can the flavour be improved? Using fruits with stronger flavours or better combinations.

A quick written analysis can be helpful or an alternative method. The salad was colourful and the fruit cut into bite sized pieces. General appearance The aroma was fruity especially the orange and bananas Aroma The texture was varied , soft -banana and crunchy – apples and grapes, interesting to eat. Texture Flavour The flavour was a little boring – especially the juice. Yes – a bowl of at least three tablespoon will give one portion out of five –a-day. 5 a day goal Too many fruit of a similar flavour - need to find fruits with a better or stronger flavour. Analysis Possible improvements Add an orange or a tangerine – a juice with a stronger flavour.