Olive Oil Tasting Basic Vocabulary

The purpose of this standard is to assemble the general terms used in sensory analysis and to give their definitions.

General terminology

Acceptability (noun)
State of a product favorably received by an individual or population in terms of its organoleptic attributes.

Acceptance (noun)
The act of an individual or population of favorably accepting a product.

Aspect (noun)
Combination of organoleptic attributes perceived visually: size, shape, color, conformation, turbidness, cleanness, fluidness, foam and effervescence.

This term is preferred to the term appearance.

Attribute (noun)
A perceptible characteristic.

Compensation
The result of the interaction of a combination of stimuli in such a way that each one is perceived with less intensity than if it acted alone.

Discrimination
The act of qualitative and/or quantitative differentiation between two or more stimuli.

Expert
Taster who specializes in the sensory analysis of a specific product and has a basic understanding of the preparation of the product and market preferences.

Harmony
Attribute of a product that gives rise to an overall pleasant sensation. This sensation is produced by the perception of the product components as olfactory, gustatory, tactile and kinaesthetic stimuli because they are present in suitable concentration ratios.

Organoleptic
Describes an attribute of a product, perceptible by the sense organs.

Panel
Group of assessors who have been specially selected and trained and who assemble to perform the sensory analysis of the product under controlled conditions.

Perception
Sensory awareness of external objects or events.

Sensation
Subjective phenomenon resulting from the stimulation of a sensory system. This phenomenon can be subjectively discriminated or objectively defined by the sense organ involved, depending on the nature or kind of stimulus and its intensity.

Sensitivity
Ability to perceive quantitatively and qualitatively a stimulus of little intensity or small differences between stimuli by means of the sense organs.

Sensory analysis (noun)
Examination of the organoleptic attributes of a product by the sense organs.

Taster (noun)
A perspicacious, sensitive person who is selected and trained to evaluate the organoleptic attributes of food with the sense organs.

Tasting (noun)
The operation involves perceiving, analyzing, and judging the organoleptic attributes, particularly a food product's olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and kinaesthetic attributes.

Physiological terms

Adaptation (noun)
Temporary sensitivity modification in perceiving sensory stimuli due to continuous, repeated exposure to a given or similar stimulus.

Body (noun)
Tactile sensation perceived in the mouth which gives a degree of density, viscosity, consistency or compactness to a product.

Compensation (noun)
The result of the interaction of a combination of stimuli in such a way that each one is perceived with less intensity than if it acted alone.

Contrast effect
Increase in response to differences between two simultaneous or consecutive stimuli.

Opposite of the convergence effect.

Convergence effect
Decrease in response to differences between two simultaneous or consecutive stimuli.

Opposite of the contrast effect.

Fragrance (noun)
Fresh, pleasant, delicious odour.

Gustatory
Describes the attribute of a product that can stimulate the gustatory apparatus by awakening the sensations of one or more of the four primary tastes: sweet, salty, acid and bitter.

Inhibition
Lack of response by a sense organ or a part thereof despite being subjected to the action of a suitable stimulus whose intensity is above the threshold.

Intensity
The magnitude of the energy of an attribute that can be measured in terms of a quantitative scale of values above the threshold.

Kinaesthesis
Sensations resulting from pressure on the sample produced by a movement in the oral cavity or with the fingers (for example: pressing cheese with fingers).

Objective

  1. Describes that which gives a true, verifiable representation of the object by minimizing the human factors (for instance, preference, habit, inclination).

  2. Describes the technique which, either employing sensory or instrumental methods, minimizes self-induced errors.

Note: Use of the term “instrumental” as a synonym is not advised.

Olfaction
The function of the olfactory apparatus to perceive and discriminate between the molecules that reach it, in gas form from an external environment, directly or indirectly via the nose.

Receptor
The specific structure of a sense organ that can be excited and is capable of receiving a stimulus and converting it into a nervous discharge.

Note: Receptors are classified in terms of the type of energy associated with the stimulus (light, heat, sound, etc.)

Response
An action whereby the sensory cells respond to the action of one or more stimuli related to a given sense organ.

Preference threshold
The minimum quantitative value of a stimulus or critical supra-threshold value of that stimulus at which an attraction or rejection response appears concerning a neutral stimulus, for example, in the choice between a sugared solution and water.

Note: A distinction should be drawn between an absolute preference threshold and a differential preference threshold.

Sub-threshold
Below the absolute threshold.

Supra-threshold
Above the absolute threshold.

Terminal threshold
The maximum value of a stimulus above which an increase in intensity is not perceived.

Acid

  1. Describes the primary taste produced by dilute aqueous solutions of most acid substances (for example, citric acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid).

  2. Describes the attribute of pure substances or mixtures which produce this taste.

The corresponding noun is acidity.

After-taste; residual taste
A combination of sensations perceived after the stimulus has disappeared from the mouth and which differs from the sensations perceived beforehand.

Aroma

  1. Pleasant sensations perceived indirectly by the olfactory organ when tasting a food.

  2. In perfumery and non-specialized language, this term is also applied to the same sensations perceived directly through the nose.

Salty

  1. Characteristic sensation perceived by the sense of taste, the most typical example of which is produced by a sodium chloride solution.

  2. Describes the attribute of pure substances or mixtures which produce this taste.

The corresponding noun is saltiness.

Sour
Describes the olfactory-gustatory sensation in which acids generally produced by fermentation are predominant, as well as the foodstuffs that produce this sensation.

Some factors that contribute to this sensation are related to the fermentation of a food product, such as the lactic or acetic fermentation.

Sweet

  1. Describes the primary taste produced by aqueous solutions of various substances such as sucrose.

  2. Describes the attribute of pure substances or mixtures which produce this taste.

The corresponding noun is sweetness.

Taste

  1. Sensations perceived when some soluble substances stimulate the gustatory papillae.

  2. Attribute of the specific sensation produced by such substances.

Texture
Characteristics of the solid or rheological state of a product, the combination of which can stimulate the mechanical receptors during tasting, particularly those located in the mouth.

Note: This term refers solely to the objective attributes, not to the sensations produced, which are designated by general terms such as consistency, fibrousness, greasiness, etc.

Note: This vocabulary may be enlarged by consulting ISO standards 5492, Parts I-V and other publications such as that by J.L. Magnen entitled “Les cahiers tecniques du Centre National de Coordination des Etudes et Recherches sur la Nutrition et l’Alimentation,” etc.