Flavour Testing

Flavour testing or sensory evaluation is defined by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) as “…a scientific method used to (1) Evoke, (2) Measure, (3) Analyse, and (4) Interpret those responses to products as perceived through the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing”. From this definition one can infer that the same rigour and attention to detail placed on sample preparation must be extended to the flavour evaluation process for both cocoa mass and chocolates.

Flavour Testing - “A scientific method used to (1) Evoke, (2) Measure, (3) Analyse, and (4) Interpret those responses to products as perceived through the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing”.

Flavour assessment of both cocoa mass and chocolate take the following formats: 

• Evaluation by a panel of trained tasters for presence or absence of defects.
• Evaluation by a panel of unskilled tasters using Hedonic preference indicators.
• Evaluation by a panel of skilled tasters providing both quantitative and qualitative assessment (including presence or absence of defects), as well as an overall global quality or preference score.
• Evaluation by a single or few highly skilled tasters providing both quantitative and qualitative assessment (including presence or absence of defects), as well as an overall global quality or preference score.

Each flavour assessment format identified above has a direct implication on the amount of sample needed, the size of the panel and number of repetitions of tasting required for a robust dataset based on the inherent purpose and need of the evaluation exercise. Critical elements in this process therefore include:
 

• Tasting area and layout
• Panellist training or experience
• The use of physical reference samples in training
• Tasting design and/or sample randomization
• Sample presentation
• The evaluation process
• Flavour descriptors - interpreting the results