Free sorting as a sensory profiling technique for product development

Analyzing larger sample sets with rapid methods: Incomplete-block designs with free-sorting and free-linking tasks

“…This is not the case for the rapid, holistic methods we consider here, in which subjects, without prior training, only make comparisons between the samples that have been presented. To our knowledge, there are no publications systematically exploring the application of incomplete-block designs to sample presentation for rapid, holistic methods, although some recent publications point towards the possibility of such an approach (Courcoux et al, 2023). Moreover, an early study on the application of incomplete designs to an earlier method in cognitive psychology (on so-called "triad tests" for similarity) yielded promising results, indicating that incomplete-block designs for sample presentation may be compatible with studies of holistic similarity (Burton, 2003;Burton & Nerlove, 1976).…”

“…In principle, a fully-balanced incomplete-block design (such as those described in Gacula Jr. et al, 2009), which ensures that all pairs of samples are presented equally often across the entire design, would avoid this problem for the overall data structure, but in practice these designs are rarely feasible for two reasons. First, they require a great increase in the number of subjects required for the study (Chollet et al, 2011;Gacula Jr. et al, 2009), negating one of the key advantages of these rapid holistic methods (Courcoux et al, 2023;Valentin et al, 2012Valentin et al, , 2018. Simply put, for most large-sample studies for which incomplete blocks might be of interest to the sensory analyst, the required number of subjects for a fully balanced incompleteblock design will often not be practical for reasons of time or budget.…”

Effect of Non-Saccharomyces Species Monocultures on Alcoholic Fermentation Behavior and Aromatic Profile of Assyrtiko Wine

“…The six produced wines from the fermentation of six strains of five species were categorized based on their aromatic profile (odor) using a free sorting task test, as described previously [2]. Free sorting task is an efficient technique for assessing the perception of a set of products by a panel of subjects and is also widespread in wine science [24][25][26]. Samples were evaluated in individual booths, using covered, ISO glasses (NF V09-110, 1971) containing about 25 mL of liquid, coded with three-digit random numbers.…”