Basic taste recognition (ISO 3972)
A ~10-minute test per panelist to verify they 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 the metallic one). The minimum is 2 tastes; presenting 5 or 6 is typical.
The result is hits / presented (presented = how many tastes the leader chose to present) and is shown as a percentage; for example, 5 of 6 = 83%. There's no fixed denominator of 6: it depends on how many tastes are presented. ISO 8586 sets 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 | 24 g/L |
| Salty | Sodium chloride (NaCl) | 4 g/L |
| Sour | Citric acid | 1.2 g/L |
| Bitter | Caffeine | 0.54 g/L |
| Umami | Monosodium glutamate (MSG) | 2.0 g/L |
| Metallic (optional) | Iron(II) sulfate | 0.012 g/L |
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)" (a new form option).
- 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 → Evaluations → 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.
Choose the tastes to present (Step 2 · Samples)
In Step 2 (Samples) you use a checkbox to mark which basic tastes to present (any of the 6 is optional; all 6 by default, minimum 2) with their recognition concentration, and you set the hit threshold to pass. Here you can also enable Include control water (1–3 samples) to detect false positives. The system generates the blind codes on its own, intersperses the control water at varied positions, and shuffles the presentation order.
Select the panelist (Step 3 · Panel)
In Step 3 (Panel) you select the panelist to calibrate.
Serve the samples
Each solution carries its blind code. The panelist receives the panel sheet and the served cups 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. Rough pace: ~10 minutes total. The assessor's walkthrough is in the Assessor guide.
Close the tasting
AreaCacao computes the score (hits / presented, shown as a percentage) and recalculates the panelist's badge.
How the result is interpreted
The hit threshold to pass is set by the leader when creating the tasting (default 5 of 6, per the ISO 8586 literature, which sets acceptable performance at ≥ 80% hits):
- 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 next to the score. 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's active, 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 identifier |
| 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) |
| False positives | Times they marked the control water as a real taste (if you enabled it) |
| 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.