Search for Science Fair Projects

1000 Science Fair Projects with Complete Instructions

Food Science Science Fair Project

Regular Fat vs. Low Fat Taste Test

Medium
Regular Fat vs. Low Fat Taste Test | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can people tell the difference between regular fat and low fat food just by taste? You set up a blind taste test with seven foods, each in both versions. The foods include milk, yogurt, ice cream, jam, cheese, cookies, and potato chips. Twenty participants taste unlabeled samples and pick which one has regular fat. For six out of seven foods more than half of them choose correctly. Cheese is the hardest to tell apart.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that most people will be able to differentiate between the taste of regular fat and that of low fat food.

Method & Materials

You will invite 20 people to taste different foods and select the item they think has the regular fat content. You will also need to prepare forms for them to fill out.
You will need 20 participants, 16 plastic containers, the following foods in both regular fat and low fat versions, 20 forms to fill, 20 disposable plates and spoons, 20 bottles of drinking water, and 1 black marker pen.

MEL Chemistryhands-on chemistry experiment kits delivered monthly — great for building lab skills at home. (Affiliate link)

See whats included

Results

The results show that more than 50% of the participants had made the right choice for 6 out of the 7 food samples. This proves that most people can tell the difference between regular fat and low fat food.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows that people can tell the difference between regular fat and low fat food, even though the low fat version may have higher salt and sugar content.

Also Consider

Experiment variations include repeating the project with a bigger group of people, or having the participants choose the food that tastes better.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related videos

These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Share this Science Project:

Related Science Fair Project Ideas

Pre-Soaked Spaghetti and Cooking Time
Soak spaghetti in water for a few hours, then boil it for just one minute to test whether pre-soaking cuts cooking time.
Medium
Sugar Crystallization and Rock Candy
Grow giant sugar crystals on a string and watch a supersaturated solution turn back into solid rock candy.
Medium
Cooking and Vitamin C in Fruit
Test raw and cooked tomatoes and cherries with an iodine solution to discover whether cooking destroys or concentrates vitamin C.
Medium
Share this Science Project: