Scientific Publications with referee

Reliability of sensory assessors: Issues of complexity.

 

Facts

Year 2008
Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate whether the sensory performance of assessors in a sensory panel may be explained by complexity of evaluated product. We aimed to investigate whether we could observe a decline in sensory performance when increasing the complexity of the product. The products increased in number of constituents from mixtures of sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid, and caffeine in water, to the foods ice-tea and tomato soup constituting different levels of the same substances. Candidates who succeeded evaluating one product were not always successful evaluating others. Few subjects were successful in everything. The conclusion was that there is only minor systematic decline with increasing complexity of products. The authors emphasize that definition of complexity involves more than just counting number of constituents and taste sensations, and suggests that minor differences in the task given to the assessor might explain different performances.
Reference Bitnes, J., Ueland, Ø., Møller, P., Martens, M. 2009. Reliability of sensory assessors: Issues of complexity. Journal of Sensory Studies, Vol 24, 1, pp 25-40.
Publisher Journal of Sensory Studies,

Related persons

  • Øydis Ueland

    Research Director, Consumer and Sensory Sciences

    Phone: +47 64970494

    Cellphone: +47 996 07 621

  • Magni Martens

    Senior Research Scientist / Professor of Sensory Science (h.c.) affiliated to Univ. of Copenhagen, DK

    Phone: +47 64970420

    Cellphone: +47 481 34 856