Laboratory Exercises for Sensory Evaluation

From the co-author of Sensory Evaluation of Foods, Principles and Practices, this lab manual is a fitting accompaniment to that text in an undergraduate or graduate course in sensory evaluation of foods.  The manual includes introductory information, such as report formats (both academic and industrial), as well as a series of eleven full-length lab exercises suitable for a three-hour laboratory period.  There are also four shorter exercises suitable for a  traditional class period, and one group exercise suitable for a semester project in descriptive analysis and terminology building.  Correct use of graphs, tables and statistics is emphasized in several sections.  Each exercise includes both a student section and one for instructors and teaching assistants, which features detailed instructions with supplies, equipment, preparation procedures, ballots and data sheets.  Each instructor section also includes “keys to successful execution,” which cover common mistakes and important details, designed to give the students the maximum opportunity for a rich learning experience.  A group of statistical problem sets is included to reinforce common statistical analyses used with sensory data.  Methods encountered include discrimination, descriptive, affective/hedonic, scaling, thresholds, panelist screening, shelf life and consumer questionnaires.  Critical thinking and discussion questions are emphasized above and beyond the rote learning of a specific procedure.  For classes that may be offered to less advanced students, suggestions are made in the instructor sections on how the exercise or report can be simplified.  The exercises were compiled and refined over two decades and used in an upper level course in sensory testing at Cornell University.