4. Do's and Don'ts

To prepare for panel tasting it is important to formulate clear questions beforehand, which are not ambiguious or ask for information that the examiner cannot give, because she/he is not familiar with certain terms or concepts.

  • Provide a clear description of the task and explain the tasting process beforehand.
  • During the tasting always ask questions about appearance and smell first, as these are the first impressions that are perceived. 
  • Always provide more than only 2 or 3 possible answers to JAR or popularity tests.
  • Avoid colloquial language, like "I don't know" or "I guess". It is better to use terms like: "Neutral" or "Rather less".
  • Be aware that you cannot expect sensory expertise from untrained consumer-panel members. Therefore, avoid technical insider jargon.
  • Do not ask questions that require long, detailed answers, but instead ask more questions that can be checked quickly.
Examiners can give personal information only voluntarily. However, discrimination by age group or gender might sometomes be useful, e.g. in hedonic and popularity testing.