Name: Mechelle Ann F.

Lamata Group name: Group name

Date performed: Jan. 11, 2012 Date submitted: Jan. 18, 2012

FST 150 Sensory Evaluation of Food Products Exercise 5. Olfactory Threshold

Introduction Humans can perceive five quantifiable properties of odor, these are intensity, degree of offensiveness, character, frequency, and duration. Weather (temperature, humidity, wind direction) affects the volatility of compounds where an odor can be dispersed downwind. Aroma threshold depends from each individual. An odorant is a substance capable of eliciting an olfactory response whereas odor is the sensation resulting from stimulation of the olfactory organs. In the 5- sample method five geometric concentrations of odorant dissolved in water that requires the use of the human nose as a detector. Two samples contain the odorant, the remaining three have no stimulus. Five trials or sets with various concentrations are given in order to get least chance to arrive at right guesses. The order of serving within each set and among sets was randomized to eliminate bias. The olfactory threshold is the lowest concentration wherein two consecutive correct identifications were achieved. A panelist must simply identify the presence or absence of an odor. A method simpler than ranking, as the human nose cannot distinguish small differences between levels of intensity (Powers, 2004).

The main objective of this experiment is to introduce to the students a method for determining aroma threshold. Materials

Odorant (banana) in water- 0.01%, 0.03%, 0.05%, 0.07%, 0.10% Test tubes Test tube racks Tray Masking tape and marker

Method

Five geometric concentrations of banana odorant were prepared. The evaluators obtained the samples which are already placed in test tubes from the refrigerator so those were wiped and allowed to absorb the room temperatore.

10mL of the solution containing the odorant and separately, 10mL of water were poured in each test tube. the test tubes were gathered according to their concentrations.

Scoresheets were decoded and recorded on the master sheet. the individual and class average threshold were determined.

The test tubes were randomly placed in the test tube rack following the master sheet and table mark- up that were prepared earlier. The prepared set-ups were served.

Results Table 1. Individual aroma threshold of 13 panelists CONCENTRATION Panelist NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% invalid 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.03% 0.05% 0.07% 0.10% THRESHOLD

Legend: - correct response - incorrect response

Table 2. Concentration of odorant in water and number of correct responses X Concentration 0.01% 0.03% 0.05% 0.07% 0.10% X = 0.26% Y No. of correct responses 13 13 12 13 13 Y = 64

0.13 0.39 0.6 0.91 1.3 XY = 3.33

0.0001 0.0009 0.0025 0.0049 0.01 X2 = 0.0184

Table 3. Values obtained from the calculation (See appendices) Variable b a Y1 Y2 Value 155.30 1.82 3.37 17.35

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0.01 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.1 Linear regression Aroma Concentration vs. correct responses

Figure 1. Absolute olfactory threshold of banana as odorant

Discussion

After all panelists have evaluated a series of dilutions for the test sample, individual panelists' absolute thresholds are determined. The threshold for a panelist is the least concentration that he can determine. All panelists have 0.01% individual threshold except for panelist number 12. This quantitative value varies because it

depends on the perception of the panelists. His response was disregarded as it is indicated as guess. Due to many trials, the panelist might have an odor fatigue, a temporary condition where a person becomes acclimated to an odorant to the point that they are no longer aware that the odor is present (Powers, 2004).

The absolute aroma threshold was determined by the regression line and the values obtained from the data gathered. The threshold of the class for sweetness was calculated using regression calculation (See sample calculations). The odor concentration is the independent variable (x) while the number of correct responses is the dependent variable (y). These variables are analyzed and the values obtained were summarized in Table 2. The regression line or line of best fit is made up of two points: y1 and y2. The intersection between the graph (Fig.1) and the regression line is a point, where the x- component= 0.063 represents the absolute aroma threshold for 13 panelists.

Conclusion

The thirteen panelists, except panelist no. 10, have the same individual threshold of greater than or equal to 0.01% banana odorant. Aroma absolute threshold of banana odorant for 13 panelists is 0.063 %. At this banana aroma concentration, the 13 panelists can detect the stimulus. It is also calculated in order to use as reference for the further laboratory exercises.

References:

Powers, W. 2004. The Science of Smell Part 3: Odor detection and measurement. http://www .extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1963C.pdf. Date retrieved: January 15, 2012 Hellman,T.M.and F.H.SmallCharacterization of the odor properties of 101 petrochemicals using sensory method,J.of APCA.,(1974),24(10),pp.979-982

Sample calculation:

Evaluation of the absolute olfactory threshold of banana as odorant (x) Concentration % (y) No. of correct responses 0.01 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.10 0.26 13 13 12 13 13 64 xy 0.13 0.39 0.6 0.91 1.3 3.33 x2 1 x 10-4 9x 10 -4 2.5x 10-3 4.9x 10-3 0.01 0.0184

b= 155.3

Y1= a + bx1 Y2= a + bx2

Y1= 1.82 + (155.3)(0.01)= 3.373 Y2= 1.82 + (155.3)(0.1)= 17.35