taster
n.a person or animal that tries a small amount of food or drink to see if it is safe or good. In science, it can also mean a small sample of something to test its quality.
n.an individual who samples a substance, typically food or drink, to assess its quality or safety. In a biological context, it refers to an organism that consumes a small quantity of a substance to determine its palatability or toxicity.
“The chef offered a small taster of the new dessert to the guests.”
“The restaurant provides a complimentary taster of their signature dish to every customer who enters the dining room.”
“In evolutionary biology, the ability to detect bitter compounds often serves as a survival mechanism, allowing a taster to avoid potentially toxic plants before consuming them in larger quantities.”
From Middle English taster; equivalent to taste + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.