Practical report triangle
Mette Daamen, Britt Koks & Suzie Rademakers
Introduction
The aim of the experiment is to determine if participants can taste the difference between
Cola zero and Cola light. This is tested with a triangle test.
Triangle tests are one of the most common sensory discrimination tests and are used to
detect small differences between products, for example to investigate whether consumers
will notice small differences between ingredients in products. During a triangle test, the
participant gets three different samples. They are asked to indicate the sample that is
different from the other two. When there is no difference between the samples perceived by
the participant there is a probability of 1/3 for making a correct selection. When a
population perceives a difference between samples, the probability is higher than 1/3 that a
correct selection will be made.
Research question
Are WUR students following the course Basic Sensory Science able to distinguish the
difference between cola zero and cola light?
Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that the participants are able to distinguish the difference between cola
zero and cola light.
Materials & Methods
Materials
- 150 ml Cola Zero
- 150 ml Cola Light
- Marker
- Identification codes (698, 869, 896, 986)
- 4 small identical cups
- Glass of water
- Laptop with the questionnaire
Methods
The researcher prepares 2 cups with the cola zero sample and 2 cups with the cola light
sample and writes the identification codes on the cups. The participant is asked to open the
questionnaire and read the instructions carefully. The order combination of the different
cola samples is determined by the computer. There are two rounds, each containing three
samples. The participant should take small sips of every sample, and they may taste every
sample as often as needed. It is important that the participant rinses their mouth in between
every sample and waits 10 seconds before tasting a new sample. In one of the rounds there
are two cups with cola zero and one cup with cola light. In the other round there are two
cups containing cola light and one cup containing cola zero. The participant is asked to
indicate the odd one out of the three in both rounds.
Mette Daamen, Britt Koks & Suzie Rademakers
Introduction
The aim of the experiment is to determine if participants can taste the difference between
Cola zero and Cola light. This is tested with a triangle test.
Triangle tests are one of the most common sensory discrimination tests and are used to
detect small differences between products, for example to investigate whether consumers
will notice small differences between ingredients in products. During a triangle test, the
participant gets three different samples. They are asked to indicate the sample that is
different from the other two. When there is no difference between the samples perceived by
the participant there is a probability of 1/3 for making a correct selection. When a
population perceives a difference between samples, the probability is higher than 1/3 that a
correct selection will be made.
Research question
Are WUR students following the course Basic Sensory Science able to distinguish the
difference between cola zero and cola light?
Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that the participants are able to distinguish the difference between cola
zero and cola light.
Materials & Methods
Materials
- 150 ml Cola Zero
- 150 ml Cola Light
- Marker
- Identification codes (698, 869, 896, 986)
- 4 small identical cups
- Glass of water
- Laptop with the questionnaire
Methods
The researcher prepares 2 cups with the cola zero sample and 2 cups with the cola light
sample and writes the identification codes on the cups. The participant is asked to open the
questionnaire and read the instructions carefully. The order combination of the different
cola samples is determined by the computer. There are two rounds, each containing three
samples. The participant should take small sips of every sample, and they may taste every
sample as often as needed. It is important that the participant rinses their mouth in between
every sample and waits 10 seconds before tasting a new sample. In one of the rounds there
are two cups with cola zero and one cup with cola light. In the other round there are two
cups containing cola light and one cup containing cola zero. The participant is asked to
indicate the odd one out of the three in both rounds.
