430. Studies of the nature of subjective judgements in cheese-grading

Abstract

In grading Cheshire cheese, assessments are made of the ‘body’, ‘texture’, ‘crumbliness’, flavour and overall quality. In commercial grading in this country (England) it is not usual to apply a scoring system to these various characteristics, although, in judging cheese for show purposes, points would be assigned to each item. American practice, at least according to the literature, suggests that score cards are in general use for each particular dairy product, so that the various items may be assessed in quantitative terms. For experimental purposes, where it is required to assess the effect of specific variations in conditions of manufacture or storing of the cheese, or to assess the relation between instrumental tests and the judgements of graders and others, some quantitative form of expression of these judgements is essential. However, it has to be borne in mind that the process of forcing the judgement into an arbitrarily selected numerical scale may lead to a certain amount of distortion and may not be entirely satisfactory. Modifications of procedure desirable in the interests of statistical planning may also be unacceptable, in view of the dislocation they may cause to the ingrained habits of the professional foodgrader.