Hypothesis
hypothesis = tentative assumption to test logical or empirical consequences of applying a variable in a research project null hypothesis = statement that applying a research variable will not make a significant difference in a research project
Some examples…
Planning an experiment
• Idea
• Justification – Develop hypothesis
• Literature review
• Designing Experiment – work from hypothesis
– Must have controls
– Verified methods
– Weights and measures
Planning an experiment
• Results
– Compare treatments using objective measurements
– Physical and sensory tests
• Discussion
– Compare your results with those of others
– Did your results support your hypothesis or not?
– Rationale
• Conclusion
– Summary of results
– Impact of study
Controlling Experimental Variables
– Variable = quantity that has no fixed value
– Independent variable=defined by researcher (e.g. type of sweetner used)
– Dependent variable=will be a measured result from the experiment (e.g. affect of sweetner on color, volume,etc.)
– Extraneous variable = added variation that is not controlled that affects experimental outcome
Conducting an Experiment
• Objective and subjective observations
• Recording data – all information when observed
• Statistical analysis
– Descriptive statistics – frequency, distribution (mean, variance, standard deviation)
– Inferential statistics – probability of predicting an occurrence by use of a statistical test (t-test, ANOVA). Use significance level P<0.05
• Report
Sensory Tests
• Can be very objective when terms are clearly defined (consumer panel – 100s of people) or a panel that is highly trained (quantitative descriptive analysis)
Sensory Tests
• Involves use of senses – physiological response
– Olfactory receptors in nose
• Odor and taste receptors blend to give flavor
– Taste receptors –tongue, taste buds (gungiforms and circumvallate)
– Sweet, sour, bitter, salt
– Thresholds – concentration of taste compound at barely detectable level
– Subthreshold – concentration of taste compound at a
level that is not detectable, but is capable of influencing other taste perception (e.g. salt on sweetness)
Sensory Tests
• Visual receptors – shape, color, texture
• Appearance can affect perceived flavor or texture (example)
• Lighting is important – must not mask or accentuate irrelevant traits during sensory testing
Sensory Characteristics
• Appearance-color being most important (kids)
• Color is exterior surface
• Interior appearance –lumps, air cells, etc.
• Appearance and color features should be included on sensory testing forms
• Aroma – second most characteristic
• Aroma ‘advertises’ food
• Consider proper temperature when evaluating food aroma
• Flavor – taste and aroma mix to form flavor
• Temperature is critical to extract flavor and aroma
• Flavor potentiator – compound that enhances flavor without adding a flavor of its own (MSG)
• Flavor inhibitors – substance that blocks perception of a taste (milk protein or starch on hot pepper)
• Texture – mouthfeel – how a food feels in your mouth
– Mouthfeel –must clearly define what panelist is to evaluate (sticky, smooth, astringent)
• Tenderness – amount of chewing action to reach a certain consistency
• Appearance, Aroma, Flavor,Texture
– Train panel how attribute is defined so all are using same criteria
– Standardized and consistent experimental protocol
• examples
Selecting a Panel
• Ability to discriminate differences you are looking for
– Depending on test, may or may not want highly sensitive people
– Screen using preliminary tests
– Interest in project and serving on a panel
– Clarity of nasal passages and ability to taste and smell
– Demographic characteristics
Training a Panel
• Trained panelists- varies with complexity of test
• Review scorecards, clarify questions, assure that panelists are using same word definitions for scoring
• Untrained panelists – need larger number for tests. Consumer panels.
• Panelist has no preparation for evaluation of product (outside of own personal experience)
• Descriptive Flavor Analysis Panel and
Quantitative Descriptive Analysis
• -trained panel to analyze flavor, texture, appearance of product in great detail
• Describe product characteristics and quantify intensity of traits
• Verify flavor and determine quality
• Great amount of work (9 week or so to train panel)
• Must use same ‘calibrated’ panel over and over again. Needs long term commitment
Types of Tests
• Descriptive – provide information on selected characteristics
• Affective – subjective attitude to a product. Acceptability or preference. Follows discriminative or descriptive testing
• Difference – determine whether there are detectable differences between products
• Descriptive – provide selective information on characteristics of food
– Selective scoring of critical attributes. These are developed by researcher, through focus group or preliminary panels
– Each characteristic to be evaluated is described over entire range (min amount to excessive amount of trait x)
– Score card with rating scales (hedonic scales – e.g. extremely sweet to not sweet). These must be carefully worded
Descriptive Tests, cont.
– Score cards with comparisons -‘the more X sample is #’
– Trained or semi-trained panel
– Profile methods (flavor and texture profiling) –
Individual judgments, or ratings by a group. Develop accurate word for each characteristic to be measured
– Can be a single sample
Attribute analysis
• Not a preference test
• Problems with central tendency error
• Scales – 6-10 marks. Use objective terms as anchors (very hard) not subjective ones (much too hard).
• Anchors must be opposites
• Use anchors that are agreed upon during panel training. Each panelist can be calibrated based upon their tendency to use the whole scale. Can be repeated with a control as part of replication.
• Unstructured scales are best. Eliminates problems with unequal psychological intervals between traits.
• Psychological difference between terms are important. E.g ‘extremely sweet’ and ‘very sweet’ do not represent the same difference as ‘trace sweet’ and ‘not sweet’
• Hard to apply to complex traits like texture which must be characterized as individual components
• Train panel on what property IS so all will be looking for the same thing
• Include standards as scale tends to drift with time and panel’s familiarity with the product.
Umami
Earthy
Musky
Sour Overall Aroma
Bread/ Yeasty
Metallic
Intensity Af tertaste
Bitter
Duration Af tertaste
Algae Flavor Strength
Salted Squid
Salted
Cooked Salmon
Fruity
OceanSeaweed
Floral
Fresh Fish
Fresh Salmon
Buttery
Sweet
Type of Tests
• Affective – subjective attitude to a product. Acceptability or preference. Follows discriminative or descriptive testing
• Ranking – rate by intensity of trait. Can be used to screen one or two samples from a larger group.
Must couple with another test to sort out degree of different if this is important.
– hedonic scales (like extremely/dislike extremely)
– consumer panels
Difference – detect differences between products
– also called discrimination tests
– Test sensitivity of judges to a certain trait
– Try to match experimental product with control
– New product formulations
Difference Tests
• Paired comparison
• Specific characteristic tested: ‘which sample is more sweet”
Other discrimination tests
• Triangle
• 2 out of 5
• Ranking- works well when several samples need to be evaluated for a single characteristic. Rank sample in order of intensity of characteristic being measured.
Factors affecting sensory measurements
• Choosing a panel – Best scenario –
– Panel is an analytical instrument
– Health, interest, availability, punctual, good verbal and communication skills.
• Threshold tests for primary tastes not useful to screen individuals for sensitivity to different foods
• Generally screen 2-3x as many people as you will use
• Prepare test samples as you would for ‘real experiment’
• Make sure panel understands forms used and the terms used on the forms
• Expectation error – any information a panelist receives influences the outcome
• Panels finds what they are expected to find
• Trick – provide only enough information for panelist to be able to do the test
• Try not to include people already involved in the experiment (single blind)
• Avoid codes that create inherent bias (1,A etc)
• Motivated panelists
• Leniency error – rate products based upon feelings about researcher
• Suggestion effect – response of other panelists to product (need to isolate panelists and keep them quiet)
Testing times
• Must not be too tired or hungry
• Late morning or mid afternoon are good
• Early AM bad for testing spicy foods
• Late day – lack of panelist motivation
Stimulus Error
• Influence of irrelevant questions (e.g piece size, color, uniformity)
• Try to mask unwanted difference (e.g. colored
lights)
• Logical error – associated with stimulus error – tendency to rate characteristics that appear to be logically associated (yellow and rancidity).
Control by masking differences
Halo and Proximity Effect
• Halo effect – caused by evaluating too many factors at one time. Panelists already have an impression about the product when asked about second trait – will form a logical association (e.g. dry-> tough)
• Best to structure testing so that only one factor is tested at a time (difficult to do)
• Proximity error – rate more characteristics similar when they follow in close proximity.
Convergence Effect
• Convergence effect – large difference between two samples will mask small
differences between others.
• This causes results to converge. So use random order to reduce this.
• Next slide shows how flavor interactions impact this.
Positional Effect and Contrast Effect
• Positional effect – tendency to rate second product higher or lower
• 2 products very different – panelists will exaggerate differences and rate ‘weaker’ sample lower than would otherwise
• Use random order. Use all possible presentation orders
Central Tendency Error
• Panelists done want to use whole scale.
• Mix up scale (don’t load one end with all the ‘good traits.
• Can also normalize form for each panelist
Physical Location
• Testing in special rooms. 22C, positive pressure, 45% RH,
• Special lighting
• No fumes
• No smoking
Sample preparation
• Preliminary preparation – grind, puree to reduce color differences (unless testing for color differences)
• Masking color – lights, glasses, blindfolds, black lined cups, added dye
Dilutions and carriers
• Spices or hot sauce – dilute in white sauce or syrup
• Hydrocolloids mask flavor
• Test actual food – icing ON cake
• 20-40C easiest range
Utensils and containers
• Glass is best (inert)
• Container should not have flavor or aroma
Quantity of sample
• Size limited by amount of product available
• Representative of what is needed to test variation in product as manufactured
• Test dependent (consumer sample or portion would require more sample)
• Discriminative – 16 ml liquid, 28 g solid. Double for preference test
• Market testing – use consumer size serving – what tastes ‘good’ at 20 ml may not at 200!
Controls
• Include reference sample in test as part of mix
• Use random numbers
• Balanced order of presentation to reduce physiological and psychological effects
• Use same ‘process’ between samples to reduce carry over.
• Neutral tasting room temperature water.
• Matzo crackers between samples
• High fat samples – warm tea, lemon water, apple slices
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