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 soup. The soup needed to be: General appearance ‘Healthy’ – low in sugar and fat. Aroma Contain a selection of vegetables 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. What does this tell you about the soup? Sensory analysis of soup Texture General appearance Flavour 5 a day goal Aroma 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. 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 soup, the awarded points can be marked on the star profile and joined up using a straight line. Scale A 1 - excellent 2- very good 3 – good 4 – average 5 – poor How can the flavour be improved? Using vegetables with stronger flavours or better combinations.

Attribute testing -Sensory analysis of soup What does this tell you about the soup? Attribute testing (star profile) is used……… As part of the disassembly of other dishes To show what the finished product should be like (ideal profile) To build up a detailed evaluation to compare against the ideal To show if modifications are needed Texture General appearance Flavour 5 a day goal Aroma The attributes (characteristics) to be tested are drawn on the leg of a radar graph. The legs are divided into 5 equal section and testers are asked to indicate how strong each attribute is ( 5=very strong 1= very weak) Scale A 1 - excellent 2- very good 3 – good 4 – average 5 – poor

A quick written analysis can be helpful or an alternative method. The soup was colourful and blended to a smooth creamy consistency. General appearance The aroma was ………………especially the…………………… Aroma The texture was ……………………………… Texture Flavour The flavour was ………………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 similar flavour s? - stronger / weaker flavours needed? More herbs? Analysis Possible improvements Add ……………………….. Change………………….develop……………..