Abstract:
Sensory evaluation of food is an integral aspect of Food Science and Technology as it is vital in
new product development and existing product improvement. It is a scientific process and needs
trained panelists. This study was conducted to establish a trained sensory panel at the Faculty of
Technology, University of Colombo as there is no trained sensory panel in the faculty. ISO standard
procedure 8586:2012 was used in the study. Initially, a Google-based questionnaire was
developed and distributed among the faculty members to select candidates for the research study.
Out of 112 individuals, 89 candidates who responded to the questionnaire consisting of academic
staff, non-academic staff, administrative staff, and undergraduates were selected for the sensory
study depending on their responses to the questionnaire. The selected candidates were then
subjected to basic taste, odor, color, taste intensity, texture identification, and matching tests to
evaluate their sensory abilities. The results showed that 87% of the candidates possessed an
ability to memorize taste and smell, while 79% were selected based on their ability to identify
taste intensity, and 77% were selected for odor identification. In the texture descriptive test, 85%
of the candidates were selected, while in the color intensity identification test, 93% were
successful. Totally 21% of candidates were selected as trained panelists (23 candidates out of 112
candidates) while 79% were rejected. Based on the performance test, all panelists chose the best
biscuit sample, indicating their high level of competence. The performance of the selected 23
trained panelists was found to comply with the requirements of ISO 8586:2012. Selected trained
sensory panel consisting of 23 panelists was established at the Faculty of Technology, University
of Colombo. The panelists were found to be homogeneous and showed no significant differences
in their sensory evaluation abilities. This product-oriented sensory panel can be used for scientific
assessment of food products and sensory evaluation studies conducted by the Department of
Food Science and Technology.
