FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY SENSORY PANELISTS
What is sensory evaluation?
Sensory evaluation is the scientific analysis of foods using the basic human senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.
Why am I being asked to do sensory evaluation?
You may have given us your details to be contacted for sensory evaluation studies (food tasting) at some point. We invite people to taste food and tell us what they think about the food. Your opinion about the food product being tested is important to us. The information you provide can help food processors to make foods that are appealing to a large section of the population. It can also help ensure that foods are of high quality standards.
How often are panelists supposed to come for tasting sessions?
For people on the trained panel, you are required to come three times a week according to the schedule provided by the panel leader. Occasionally you may be invited to come an extra day for other tests or when a particular study has very limited time lines.
What is the duration for a session?
It varies depending on the type of test. Tests range between 20 minutes for consumer tests and 3 hours for full scale descriptive tests. We work hard to ensure we do not keep you much longer than you need to be kept.
Can I come for sessions whenever I feel like?
NO!! There different panel sessions and each panel (trained panel) has its own meeting days. attending sessions haphazardly is not appropriate as you will miss sessions for the product your group is being trained on. Follow your session schedules as planned. If you need to change your dates, please discuss with the panel leader assigned to your panel.
Why can’t product details be disclosed to panelists so they know what they have been provided with?
Too much information about the product you are testing can lead to bias in your responses. We limit the information about a product to product category. E.g. we can tell you that we are tasting orange juice or bread or tea bread but we cannot tell you more than that. For instance we won’t tell you that we are testing tea bread that has been made with butter, margarine or lard.
Will panelists be paid for their time?
Being on any of the sensory panels is purely voluntary. However we will give you a small gift/incentive which won’t always be monetary. In some instances and for some studies logistical allowance for transport may be provided for. What ever money you may receive will no be equal to paid work. Panelists will be given a token for their participation which won’t necessarily be monetary.
Can I stop attending sessions?
YES!! Being part of our panel is on a purely voluntary basis. Although we would prefer you do not stop attending sessions, if you need to do so, you should know that stopping panel work will not affect your relationship with the SEL, NFS, CBAS or UG. To help us know if we are performing well however, we would appreciate any feedback you can give us if our work affects your decision to leave the panel.
Can panelists decide on sample types they want to evaluate?
YES and NO!! Consumer oriented test panelists can choose the samples they want to taste/evaluate. A portion of our screening questionnaire makes that option available to such panelists. Trained panelists, however, can’t decide unless continued testing of a particular food makes them feel uncomfortable.
Am I at risk of suffering health effects for tasting samples?
NO!! We take the health of all participants very seriously. All foods to be tested are first screened for pathogenic microorganism prior to tasting. Foods that do not pass micro-testing are not served to participants. We always screen out potential tasters for known food allergies. Remember that all the foods we taste are normal everyday foods that you will be familiar with or the ingredients of such foods. In the unlikely event that you become unwell due to a food your consume part of our tests, we have an adverse event form you will need to complete for us for forward to the Institutional Review Board for further investigation.
What are the other risks for participating in a sensory evaluation test?
Some of the tests can be time consuming and may make you tired. For such tests we may break up the test into different sessions to reduce fatigue.
What is the benefit to me for participating in a sensory test?
There is a huge emotional benefit to you that cannot be overlooked in knowing that you have contributed positively to adding value to ordinary foods by giving us your opinion about that food.