Panel training
ISO 8586 tests to calibrate and maintain the quality of your panelists.
What it is
The Panel training module lets you run the tests that ISO 8586:2023 requires to calibrate and certify the panelists on your sensory panel.
Two main tests
Basic taste recognition (ISO 3972)
From 2 to 6 solutions (the 6 tastes by default; each one is optional), about 10 minutes per panelist. Promotes the panelist from naive to initiated.
Threshold detection (ISO 13301:2018)
A 3-AFC series of 4 to 8 concentration levels, about 15 to 30 minutes. Promotes the panelist from initiated to selected.
The four panelist levels
AreaCacao classifies each panelist into one of four ISO 8586 categories, and the training tests are what move them up a level:
naive → initiated → selected → expert
- naive → initiated: pass basic taste recognition.
- initiated → selected: complete at least 3 threshold detection tests in the last 6 months.
- selected → expert: revalidate basic taste recognition within the last 6 months (while keeping the 3 or more thresholds).
The level calculation is deterministic and only counts threshold and basic taste tests within the 6-month window; the two tests in this module are the quantitative way to earn it.
When to run them
- At onboarding of a panelist (initial calibration).
- Periodically to maintain their ISO 8586 badge (see Revalidation and demotion).
- When a panelist shows inconsistency in recent tastings.
How they run
Both tests are scheduled as regular tastings from Evaluations → New evaluation, choosing the Panel training block in Step 1 of the wizard. The system knows these are training tests and applies the correct protocol without you having to set it up manually (the wizard skips the Protocol step).
After the tasting closes, AreaCacao automatically recalculates the panelist's badge.