What are relational scales?
Scales are relational, that is, they allow us to measure the intensity of unrelated products/attributes with the same scales. This is similar to the concept used when measuring sound in decibels. The sound intensity of a bird’s song can be compared to that of an engine because, though the bird and engine are unrelated, the units measuring sound intensity are the same. Similarly, though a feather and rock are unrelated objects, the same scales are used to measure their weight. In sensory analysis, universal scales are not intrinsic, that is, uniquely associated with only that product. On these scales, a peeled orange has an orange flavor of about 6 or 7, whereas an undiluted orange drink may have a much stronger orange flavor, resulting in a higher intensity score than the ‘real’ orange. Universal or relational scales allow us to measure one product’s sensory characteristics in relation to the intensity attributes of another product. For example, we can compare the flavor intensity of K
