Applications and Limitations of Discrimination Testing

Abstract Discrimination testing forms an important first step to many other sensory tests in the food industry. In some instances, it is the test on which important go/no-go decisions are based on. With the plethora of discrimination test methods available to the sensory practitioner, it is limiting that in most businesses only one or two tests are used due to company tradition or individual preference. There is a need to appreciate the applications and limitations of discrimination tests in general but more specifically, a need to know the correct applications and limitations for the commonly used discrimination tests. In the sections that follow the applications and limitations of discrimination tests are discussed. First a holistic view of the applications and limitations for discrimination tests will be made; followed by a discussion of the applications and limitations of commonly used discrimination test methods.