“A Milky Situation”
BY: JESSICA
Question
In a blind taste-test,
can people tell the
difference between
skim, 2% and whole
milk?
Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that
most people will be
able to tell the
difference between
skim, 2%, and whole
milk in a blind tastetest.
Controls
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Same brand of milk
Same expiration date of milk
Same temperature of milk
Same amount of milk
Same speed milk is drunk
Same size and type of cup
Same blindfold
Same grade
Buy milk all from same place
All white milk
All cow’s milk
Drink all within the same time interval
Variables
Independent Variable
The independent variable
in my experiment is the
type of milk (skim, 2%, and
whole).
Variables
Dependent Variable
The dependent variable
in my experiment is
whether a person can tell
the difference among all
three types of milk or not.
Materials
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3
1
1
1
1
1
1
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1
1
1
1
3 oz. Dixie cups
½ gal. skim milk, Kroger brand
½ gal. 2% milk, Kroger brand
½ gal. whole milk, Kroger brand
dark blindfold
taste-tester (non-allergic to cow’s milk)
measuring cup with ounce graduations (pour
spout preferred)
sink to rinse measuring cup between uses
refrigerator to store milk
wastebasket to dispose of empty cups
table/counter to set materials on
Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Gather materials
Blindfold the taste-tester
Use measuring cup to pour 1 oz. of skim milk into a
3 oz. Dixie cup. Label the cup with an “S” for skim
milk. Set aside.
Rinse the measuring cup with water at the sink
Use measuring cup to pour 1 oz of 2% milk into a 3
oz. Dixie Cup. Label the cup “2” for 2%. Set aside.
Rinse the measuring cup with water at the sink.
Procedure continued
7. Use measuring cup to pour 1 oz. whole milk into a
third 3 oz. Dixie cup. Label this cup “w” for whole
milk. Set aside.
8. Shuffle the cups of milk around. Randomly give the
taste-tester one cup to drink.
9. Ask them what kind of milk they think it is and
record the results on the data table.
10. Give the taste-tester a second cup of milk,
randomly, and have them drink the milk.
11. Ask them what kind of milk they think it is and
record the results on the data table.
Procedure continued
12. Give the taste-tester the final cup. Have them drink the
milk and tell you what kind of milk they think it is.
13. Record their answer on the data table.
14. Ask the taste-tester if their answers are final. Make any
changes they want to make by changing the information
on the data table.
15. Help the taste-tester take off the blindfold.
16. Reveal the correct results to the taste-tester.
17. Clean up
18. Repeat these steps with each taste-tester
Data Table
Results
Three people out of the four tested were able to tell the
difference between skim, 2%, and whole milk. The
fourth person tested was able to identify whole milk
Correctly, but mixed up skim and 2%.
Graph
Milk Taste-Tester Data
25%
Able to tell the difference
between all types of milk
75%
Unable to tell the
difference between all
types of milk
Conclusion
The question I investigated was, in a blind taste
test, can a person tell the difference between skim,
2% and whole milk. My hypothesis was yes, I believe
most people can tell the difference between skim,
2%, and whole milk in a blind taste test. I chose this
as my hypothesis because I think all three types of
milk have a very distinct taste. I know I can tell the
difference among all three types of milk, so I suspect
most people can as well.
Conclusion Continued
According to my data, I accept my hypothesis. My
results showed that 75% of the people I tested were
able to tell the difference between all three types of
milk in a blind taste test, and 25% could not. To
make my test fair, I tested two boys and two girls.
Even though I doubt gender is a factor in ones ability
to tell the difference between the three types of milk,
both girls guessed all three types correctly, whereas,
only one boy did.
Conclusion Continued
Even though my results show that most people can tell
the difference between all types of milk, I think my data
cannot be accepted as fact because my test-sample
(number of people tested) was so small. I think I would
need to test 100 – 500 people and analyze the results in
order to be more sure of my conclusion. I would be sure
to have equal numbers of males and females in the
testing sample and try to have everyone between the ages
of 11 and 15 to make sure age does not play a factor in
one’s ability to distinguish taste. I have heard from an
adult in their 40’s that you lose taste buds as you get
older. This may effect my results if I did not take the
tester’s age into account.
Conclusion Continued
If I were to do my experiment again, I would
gather data about each of my participants about their
familiarity with each type of milk. This is a difference
of which I have no way of knowing if it had an effect
on my results. I would design a small survey to
gather this data about each tester before putting
them through the testing process. I could use this
supplemental data to help me better interpret my
results at the end and draw a more comprehensive
conclusion.
Conclusion Continued
In summary, I can conclude that most people can
tell the difference between skim, 2%, and whole milk.
This data would support why some people will only
drink one type of milk. Many of my taste-testers
described skim milk as being “disgusting”, which
probably means they do not drink it on a regular
basis.