Purpose
To determine whether people can taste the difference between full fat and low fat foods in a blind study.
Additional information
You will need several willing volunteers to taste test different foods. The hypothesis is that since there are different ingredients used in low fat foods than in full fat foods that there will be at least a slight taste difference that can be noticed.
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Required materials
- 1 canister full fat sour cream
- 1 canister low fat sour cream
- 1 canister full fat chocolate pudding
- 1 canister low fat chocolate pudding
- 1 canister full fat vanilla ice cream
- 1 canister low fat vanilla ice cream
- Plastic spoons
- Journal or notebook
- Blindfolds
- Water
- Plastic cups
Estimated Experiment Time
One to two hours
Step-By-Step Procedure
- 1. Ask at least twelve people (six boys and six girls for adequate age representation) to participate in the study. Count out how many spoons you will need.
- 2. Pour water into a cup for each participant and set them aside.
- 3. Blindfold one participant at a time and ask them to test each version of the foods you have lined up. They should take a small sip of water in between the testing of each food to clear their mouth of any taste residue from the previous food.
- 4. Ask each participant if they notice a taste difference between the different foods. Ask them to describe the difference and have them label which they think is the full fat and low fat versions of the food.
Note
Make sure that the brands of each item, such as the sour cream, are the same. The only difference should be a full fat version and a low fat version.
Observation
Record each participant’s answer in the journal to be interpreted later. Be as detailed as possible when recording the participant’s interpretation of the foods – record how the participant says the food tastes with adjectives such as “bitter,” “sour,” “sweet,” and more.
Result
If the hypothesis is correct, most people will be able to tell a difference between the low fat and full fat foods. Some people will label lower fat versions of foods as more bitter tasting or blander. Graph the results and give a detailed report of how the participants said each food tasted and whether they could tell a difference between the foods.
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