The perceived saltiness of soup affected by tasting protocols

• The tasting protocols significantly affected the perceived saltiness of soup samples.
• The optimum levels of NaCl determined by each tasting protocols were different.
• Results emphasize the importance of controlling tasting protocols in sensory tests.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of tasting protocols on perception of saltiness in two different soup systems, soybean-sprout soup and chicken soup, containing six different levels of salt, respectively. One hundred participants evaluated the level of saltiness with the just-about-right (JAR) scales for the soup samples using two different tasting protocols: a beaker-tasting protocol (BTP) and a spoon-tasting protocol (STP). The results indicated that the sample tasting protocol significantly (P < 0.01) affected the perception of saltiness in both soup systems. The optimum NaCl concentrations determined by BTP were lower than those determined by STP in both soup systems. These findings emphasize the importance of sample presentations and tasting protocols in sensory tests to determine optimum levels of ingredients in food products.