Grouping of perfumes

Abstract

Ten nominally similar perfumes for use in a disinfectant were assessed as follows. Ten small measured samples of the disinfectant, differing only in respect of the perfume, were placed in ten identical containers. A panel of 30 judges were each asked to smell the samples and to group them according to whether or not any difference in smell could be detected; the number of groups could be any number from one (no detectable difference) to ten (all different). Each panel member was also asked to classify each group of samples according to acceptability of perfume into ‘like’, ‘indifferent’ or ‘dislike’.