Effective October 1, 2025, all research articles submitted to APST that involve sensory evaluation testing with human participants must include an ethical declaration.
Authors are required to provide one of the following:

Ethical Clearance Certificate – An official approval from an institutional Research Ethics Committee (REC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB) with the corresponding ethical clearance number.
Ethical Compliance Statement – For studies conducted before the establishment of institutional ethics committees, authors must provide a detailed statement documenting:

Informed consent procedures
Voluntary participation protocols
Participant confidentiality measures
Safety considerations (including disclosure of ingredients for allergy/dietary restrictions)
Right to withdraw provisions
Any other ethical safeguards implemented

This requirement ensures that all research published in APST meets international standards for ethical research involving human participants and upholds the integrity of scientific inquiry.