Sensory Evaluation Foods

Curriculum Links

• Learning Area: Design and Technologies (Technologies)
• Year Level: Year 7
• Content Description:
  Evaluate sensory properties of food and their relevance to recipe design, demonstrating safe and hygienic practices when preparing and handling food.
  Referenced from the Australian Curriculum (v9), focusing on analysing sensory and functional properties of foods to inform design decisions in food situations (implicit in the curriculum codes for Year 7 and 8 technologies with food focus).
  Specifically aligns with AC9TDE8P03 (Select, justify and use suitable materials, components, tools, equipment, skills and processes to safely make designed solutions) and incorporates sensory evaluation consistent with elaborations given for food sensory properties (such as in AC9TDE10P03_E5 on experimenting with functional and sensory properties of food) 【3: AC9TDE8P03.md】.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 50-minute lesson, students will:

• Identify and describe sensory attributes of food (taste, texture, aroma, appearance).
• Understand how these sensory attributes affect recipe design and food appeal.
• Record sensory observations systematically using a worksheet.
• Apply safe and hygienic practices during sensory evaluation.
• For advanced learners: Suggest recipe adjustments based on sensory findings to improve the food's appeal.

Resources

• Three simple food samples with distinct textures and flavours (e.g. apple slices, cheese cubes, and crackers or mini rice cakes).
• Sensory evaluation worksheets with categories for flavour, texture, aroma, and appearance.
• Sentence starters printed or projected for students who need language support.
• Hand sanitiser and disposable gloves (if needed due to food handling hygiene).
• Pens or pencils.

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction (8 minutes)

• Briefly introduce sensory evaluation and its importance in food design (recipes are made more appealing by considering taste, texture, smell, and look).
• Discuss the different sensory attributes with examples (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami; crunchy, smooth; fruity, spicy aroma; bright, dull colours).
• Outline safe and hygienic practices during the taste test (washing hands, using utensils, not sharing food).

2. Sensory Taste-Test Activity (20 minutes)

• Distribute three small samples of different foods to each student.
• Provide the sensory evaluation worksheet, explaining how to rate each sensory attribute (appearance, aroma, texture, flavour).
• Guide students through a sample demonstration (how to observe appearance, smell carefully, note texture while chewing, recognise different flavours).
• Students independently or in pairs taste each food, record their sensory observations on the worksheet.
• Circulate to support, encourage precise description, and reinforce hygiene.

Differentiation - Support:

• Provide sentence starters on worksheet for describing sensory attributes, such as:
  • "The texture is..."
  • "The flavour tastes like..."
  • "The aroma reminds me of..."
    This scaffolding helps students struggling with descriptive language.

Differentiation - Extension:

• Advanced students suggest how they might change the recipe to improve the food based on their observations.
• Examples could include:
  • "Adding more salt could enhance the flavour because..."
  • "Making the texture crunchier might increase appeal by..."
  • "Changing the colour by adding [ingredient] could improve the appearance by..."
• Share model answers to stimulate ideas.

3. Class Discussion & Reflection (10 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to share their sensory findings and recipe improvement ideas.
• Highlight how sensory attributes link to recipe success and consumer satisfaction.
• Connect to wider contexts such as designing food for cultural preferences or dietary needs, sustainability in food choices.

4. Conclusion & Clean-Up (7 minutes)

• Recap key learning points about sensory evaluation and why it matters for designing food products.
• Emphasise ongoing application of sensory evaluation in home and professional cooking.
• Ensure students clean workspaces and dispose of food correctly.

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Assessment

• Collect sensory worksheets to check for completeness and understanding of descriptors.
• Assess verbal contributions during discussion for ability to link sensory attributes to recipe design rationale.
• Extension students’ recipe adjustment proposals demonstrate higher-order thinking and practical application of sensory evaluation.

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Notes for Teachers

• Foods chosen should be allergen-free or appropriate for your students' dietary restrictions.
• This practical lesson fosters engagement by involving multiple senses, suiting Year 7 developmental stage.
• Sentence starters and model recipe adjustments help differentiate effectively within mixed-ability groups.
• Incorporate First Nations Australian perspectives if desired by discussing traditional food sensory characteristics and sustainability methods in subsequent lessons (linking to elaborations such as in AC9TDE8K04).

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This detailed, well-structured lesson aligns with the Australian Curriculum's emphasis on design thinking and evaluating sensory and functional properties of materials — in this case, food — to create effective designed solutions, preparing students with practical skills and conceptual understanding relevant to food technology and everyday life. The hands-on taste-test combined with guided reflection encourages deeper learning and personal connection to food design principles.