Sensory Analysis
How to test, compare and describe food properly: the methods, the vocabulary and the tools to run it yourself.
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Sensory analysis is how food is judged by the people eating it. You use a recognised testing method, record what tasters think, and turn that into evidence you can write about. It comes up across Food Preparation & Nutrition, Hospitality & Catering and Food Technology.
Tools you can use now
Sensory Analysis Toolkit
Run a sensory test on screen: set up your panel, record scores and see the results.
Open
Star Profile Toolkit
Build a star profile chart from your tasting scores and compare products side by side.
Open
150 Sensory Words
A bank of describing words for taste, texture, aroma and appearance.
Open
The testing methods explained
Hedonic Scale
Read the guide
Ranking Test
Read the guide
Paired Preference Test
Read the guide
Triangle Test
Read the guide
Star Profile
Read the guide
Just-About-Right (JAR) Scale
Read the guide
Semantic Differential Scale
Read the guide
The full guide to sensory analysis →
Why sensory testing matters, how to set up a fair test, controlling the conditions, and how to write up your results for assessment.