Ultimately, the demands for, and emphasis placed on citizen science in this case are a bit distracting. Sure, the argument can be made that the results people are experiencing using Low O2 methods are subjective, but the beauty of it is that the mini-mash requires minimal equipment outlay. In fact, you very likely already have all the required equipment.
The difference between Regular and Low O2 wort is profound. That is my subjective opinion, based on tasting the control and variable in the experiment. Not a little different. Very different.
The mini-mash is a springboard to more detailed analysis should you choose, but it has to start somewhere. You may find, like I did, that my previous "apples to apple" and "apples to oranges" argument applies here.
And remember, nothing in the mini mash procedure precludes the simultaneous testing of Brewtan in the wort either.