DIN Standards Committee Food and Agricultural Products
Sensory analysis - Methodology - "A"-"not A" test (ISO 8588:2017)
Abstract
This document specifies a procedure for determining whether a perceptible sensory difference exists between samples of two products. The method applies whether a difference exists in a single sensory attribute or in several.The "A" – "not A" test can be used in sensory analysis in the following ways: a) as a difference test, particularly for evaluating samples having variations, for example, inappearance (making it difficult to obtain strictly identical repeat samples) or in aftertaste (makingdirect comparison difficult); b) as a recognition test, particularly for determining whether an assessor or group of assessorsidentifies a new stimulus in relation to a known stimulus (for example, recognition of the quality ofthe sweet taste of a new sweetener); c) as a perception test, to determine the ability of an assessor to discriminate stimuli. The "A" – "not A" test is not appropriate for assessing if two products are sufficiently similar to be used interchangeably (i.e. for similarity testing) because the "A" – "not A" test inherently involves replicate evaluations of the same products by all assessors. These replicate evaluations violate the basic assumptions for similarity tests to be statistically valid.
Begin
2024-02-22
Planned document number
DIN ISO 8588
Project number
05702714
Responsible national committee
NA 057-08-01 AA - Sensory analysis
Responsible international committee
ISO/TC 34/SC 12 - Sensory analysis
draft standard
Sensory analysis - Methodology - "A" - "not A" test (ISO 8588:2017); Text in German and English
2024-10
Order from DIN Media
previous edition(s)
Sensory analysis - A - not A test
2003-08
