Putting Sensory Analysis into Practice

Before running a sensory test, it is important to ensure that all the necessary equipment is at hand, particularly if the products require some preparation prior to serving. Typical equipment would include a conventional oven and hobs, a microwave oven, a refrigerator, a freezer, a food processor, and hand-washing facilities meeting the Food Hygiene Regulations. It is important to achieve maximum control at the preparation stage, to ensure that differences are not introduced inadvertently, and then wrongly interpreted as differences between products at the analysis stage. It is always advisable to ensure that preparation equipment is standardized or calibrated if at all possible.