Iowa State University

College Of Human Sciences

College of Agriculture

Plant Sciences Institute

Center For Designing Foods To Improve Nutrition

   Sensory Evaluation Unit

    

 

 

The Sensory Evaluation Unit (SEU) provides facilities and expertise for the sensory evaluation of food products and/or ingredients.  The SEU facilities are comprised of a computerized ten-booth testing area with pass-through windows to a serving aisle, a descriptive profile and training room, and a fully equipped test kitchen adjacent to the testing area.   An adjoining laboratory houses a variety of instruments, including an Instron Universal Testing Machine, for measuring food texture and color.  Services include project design and management, panelist recruiting, screening, and training, computerized data collection (Compusense®), and statistical analysis.  The following general kinds of sensory tests are conducted:  discrimination tests, descriptive analysis tests with trained panelists, and consumer preference and acceptance tests.

 

Announcements:

  • CDFIN Call for Proposals Released Related Link

  • Diane Birt, Interim CDFIN Director, appointed to Institute of Medicine's Food Nutrition Board.          Related Link

  • CDFIN Summer Scholars Program Featured. Related Link

  • ISU food scientist Ken Prusa (Professor in Charge of CDFIN's Sensory Evaluation Unit) has identified a characteristic of pork that may be as significant to the industry as leanness.            News release

  • We are pleased to announce that Diane Birt, Distinguished Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, has agreed to serve as Interim Director of the Center for Designing Foods to Improve Nutrition. Dr. Birt served as director of CDFIN from 1997 until 2002. As interim director, she will work with 100 affiliate faculty in 30 departments who conduct interdisciplinary research to improve human nutrition and health through new and traditional foods. The appointment is effective immediately.  (Read More)