Basic taste recognition (ISO 3972)
A ~10-minute test per panelist to verify that they can identify the basic tastes in random order.
Goal
Verify that a panelist correctly recognizes the basic tastes defined by the ISO 3972:2011 standard. It's the panel's first calibration and, once passed, promotes the panelist from naive to initiated (ISO 8586:2023).
What the test does
AreaCacao prepares the solutions you choose and presents them in random order. By default all 6 tastes are included, but each taste is optional: the leader can check or uncheck any of the six (not just metallic). The minimum is 2 tastes; it's common to present 5 or 6. You can also add repeated tastes (0 to 3 extra cups with a taste already presented, chosen at random and with a different code, to check consistency) and control water (see below).
The result is hits / presented, where presented means every cup the panelist receives (tastes, repeats, and control water), and it's shown as a percentage; for example, 5 of 6 = 83%. There's no fixed denominator of 6: it depends on how many cups are presented. The ISO 8586 standard places acceptable performance at ≥ 80% hits.
Recognition concentrations (ISO 3972 · Table 3)
These are the recognition concentrations: the ones the panel must identify, not the stock solutions (the concentrated solutions you'd prepare to dilute from). Serve them to the panelist as-is.
| Taste | Stimulus | Recognition concentration |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet | Sucrose | 5.76 g/L |
| Salty | Sodium chloride (NaCl) | 1.19 g/L |
| Sour | Citric acid | 0.28 g/L |
| Bitter | Caffeine | 0.195 g/L |
| Umami | Monosodium glutamate (MSG) | 0.29 g/L |
| Metallic (optional) | Iron(II) sulfate | 0.0036 g/L |
These are the values of the ISO 3972:2011 (recognition) table, which is selected by default under Concentration table. The other table is Sensory analysis workshop (course table): sweet 6 g/L, salty 1.3 g/L, sour 0.2 g/L, bitter 0.2 g/L, and umami 0.3 g/L (metallic uses the ISO value). You can edit any concentration by hand; doing so switches the table to Custom. The Set up as in the workshop button sets the test to 8 cups per panelist (5 tastes, 2 repeats, and 1 water), the workshop table, and 7 hits to pass.
Control water (ISO 8586)
The leader can enable Include control water (1 to 3 samples) when configuring the test. Control water detects false positives: when the panelist gets the water's blind code, they should identify it as "None (water / no taste)" (an extra option on the form).
- The water is interspersed at varied positions within the series; the panelist only sees blind codes and doesn't know which one is water.
- If they mark the water as a real taste, it counts as a false positive and shows next to the score in the results.
Before you start
- Have the reference solutions ready at the indicated recognition concentration.
- Small cups, neutral water as a palate cleanser, an odor-free environment.
Preparation note (Höhl et al.). Prepare the solutions in deionized or distilled water (not mineral), at room temperature (~20–22 °C). Use anhydrous citric acid for the sour standard. Serve in identical, coded cups.
Steps
Schedule a training tasting
Sidebar → New evaluation. Step 1 → Panel training → Basic taste recognition block. The wizard skips the Protocol step (the method is already fixed by the standard), so the steps are renumbered and Panel becomes the third numbered step.
Set up the test (Step 2 · Solutions and pass criterion)
In Step 2, which for this test is titled Solutions and pass criterion, under Tastes to present you check which basic tastes to include (any of the 6 is optional; all 6 by default, minimum 2), choose the Concentration table (or edit each concentration), set the Repeated tastes and whether to Include control water (1–3 samples) to detect false positives, and set the Minimum hits to pass: 5 by default, with a suggestion of 80% of the cups presented. The system generates the blind codes on its own and, if there are repeats or water, shuffles the order so they don't always end up last.
Select the panelist (Step 3 · Panel)
In Step 3 (Panel) you select the panelist to calibrate.
Serve the samples
Each solution has its own blind code. The panelist receives the panel sheet and the cups, served at whatever pace they prefer.
The panelist evaluates
For each solution, the panelist identifies the perceived taste. It's strict forced-choice: they must pick one of the basic tastes even when unsure (there's no "I don't know" option). When control water is included, the form also offers the "None (water / no taste)" option, which the panelist marks if they perceive no taste. They can add an optional confidence on a 1-5 scale (1 = not sure at all, 5 = completely sure) and free-form notes. The app clarifies that the test measures the recognition threshold (recognizing and identifying the taste), not the detection threshold. Approximate time: ~10 minutes in total. For the assessor's walkthrough, see the Evaluator guide.
Close the tasting
AreaCacao computes the score (hits / presented, shown as a percentage) and recalculates the panelist's badge.
How to read the result
The number of hits needed to pass is set by the leader when creating the tasting (5 hits by default; the wizard suggests 80% of the cups presented, the acceptable performance according to the ISO 8586 literature):
- Enough hits: the panelist moves to initiated (if they were naive).
- Hits below the threshold: they stay at their current level. They can retake the test later.
- False positives: if you enabled control water and the panelist marked it as a real taste, that error shows as a false positive in the missed-tastes column of the results. A panelist with a good score but false positives may be guessing.
Where you see the results
Results are only calculated when you close the tasting. While it isn't closed, AreaCacao shows the notice "Results are calculated automatically when you close the tasting."
Once closed, the tasting detail shows the Calibration results table with one row per panelist and the columns:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Panelist | Panelist name |
| Hits | Hits / presented (e.g. 5/6) |
| Score | The same figure as a percentage (ISO 8586 reference: ≥ 80%) |
| Missed tastes | List of tastes they got wrong (— if none). If you enabled control water, the false positives (times they marked the water as a real taste) are added here too |
| Passed | Whether they cleared the hit threshold |
Recommendations
- Run the test as a group if you have several panelists to calibrate, keeping the same logistics (cups, temperature, palate cleanser).
- Repeat periodically (every 6–12 months) to confirm that sensitivity is holding up.