Center for Sensory Science lab manager connects companies with consumer insights to improve the quality and taste of food products
Where are you from, and how did your education and career lead you to UTIA?
My family moved to Robertson County, Tennessee, when I was six years old where they still live today. I came to Knoxville to start college. It took me some time to settle on a major, but I have been a proud part of UTIA since discovering food science. I first learned about food science by taking a class that was co-taught with the Department of Nutrition. I loved learning about the science behind cooking and decided to make the switch. My love for sensory began when I worked for Dr. Marjorie Penfield my junior year. Dr. Penfield ran the Sensory Lab for many years and really took me under her wing, acting as my major advisor in graduate school and mentor my first few years as an employee with UTIA before she retired. I now teach the class in which she first introduced me to sensory science.
What is your role at in the UT Department of Food Science, and what do you do on a typical day?
I am the lab manager for the Center for Sensory Science. Because I work within the Department of Food Science, most of my work revolves around food but varies greatly depending on the project. Before a test happens, I spend a lot of time talking to companies and product developers about their product and helping them design tests to best answer their research questions. Questionnaire building, screening and scheduling of potential panelists, and practice cooks/prep are ideally finalized 24 to 48 hours before testing occurs.
On testing days, my student workers and I typically start between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. We could be serving anywhere from 70 to 150 people a day and need to have samples ready by 8:00 a.m. so people can taste as they are heading into work. Testing days are a highlight. Interacting with panelists and receiving almost instant feedback on samples adds energy and excitement to the process. We want to make sure everyone is having a good experience while also remaining scientifically sound. The students also must stay focused to make sure every panelist that enters the booth has as close to the same experience as possible and be ready for any bumps in the road that happen when working with 100+ people a day.
After testing is complete, a lot of my job is analyzing and communicating the results to clients. We work with a few major international companies that have their own sensory division and much smaller companies that may have never tested with consumers before. A lot of the tests we run have major business implications to our clients. I need to be able to quickly and effectively communicate our findings to them regardless of size.
What drew you to the field of sensory science?
I really love that sensory science combines a lot of disciplines and can be applied to many industries. The basis for sensory science is understanding and measuring human perception of the world around them. Anything you can taste, see, smell, touch, or hear can be studied! Because the field is so wide reaching, sensory scientists need to have a basic understanding of biology (how your body and senses operate), the psychological components that come into play when working with human beings, and, in my case, food science. For example, understanding how cooking transforms the flavor of a piece raw produce or the impact storage has on the texture of a baked good are both practical applications of food science I use in my daily work. Statistics is less glamorous but a huge part of sensory.
What are some of the challenges and rewards of working in the UT Sensory Lab?
Having worked in the lab for over 10 years now, it is really rewarding to see how we have grown and evolved. When I started as a student, the lab was essentially one large room with a closet. Now, we occupy most of the first floor of the Food Science Building. We have over 1,400 volunteer tasters in our database and have increased the number of tests completed almost every year while remaining a resource to students and researchers within the university.
One of the biggest challenges is managing the logistical side of large-scale testing. An obvious example is parking. For the lab to succeed, we need to reliably have somewhere for panelists to easily park so they can come inside and taste. It’s a struggle for many on campus. Recruiting new potential panelists is another example of something we are always working on.
What is your favorite sensory test to run?
There are some tests that I have done over 300 times that are nice because I know exactly how long every component will take. It’s really fun when panelists get excited about a product too. We’ve never had a bigger response than on cookie day. We’ll occasionally get to do in-home testing with parents and their children. I love doing those, because I get to involve my own children in designing the tests.
How do you ensure consistency and reliability in sensory testing, given the subjective nature of taste and perception?
A lot of sensory is attention detail and taking notes. Every person is made a little different and has had different experiences. Every person eats food every day, but no one experiences it quite the same way. To make sure we are finding true results, we have to make sure we are preparing every sample the exact same way and in a manner that can be repeated easily. Many of the questions we ask are worded specifically to eliminate as many biases as possible. We also use a lot of people. You can learn a lot when you have a lot of data. If I asked 10 people if they liked something, I’d get subjective responses and learn little. If I ask 100 people to rate their overall liking of a sample on a 9-point scale, that gives me more to work with and reveals trends that individual responses might not.
What is the most fulfilling aspect of the work you do?
Introducing people to sensory and food science in general. A lot of people think food science is either nutrition or culinary school, but it is so much more. Food scientists are also chemists, engineers, microbiologists, product developers, quality assurance, and my personal favorite sensory scientists. In my role, I sometimes interact with hundreds of people in a day. It is really fulfilling to show panelists how their participation contributes to advancements in food science and the creation of better products. Our lab doesn’t work without people taking time out of their day to come taste. The gift cards are definitely the biggest incentive, but I think people also really want to be involved in making food products better. It’s also really fun!
Can you share an example of how sensory analysis helped improve a specific product or research outcome?
Around 75% of new products to market fail every year. Proper sensory analysis ahead of time drastically cuts that chance of failure. Having consumer feedback prior to launching gives companies a fresh perspective especially where packaging is of concern. It’s also important for existing product lines. Things like an ingredient shortage due to a drought or flood, cooking something for 3 minutes too long, or the mineral content of the water at a new factory is slightly off from the original can have a huge impact on the final product. Sensory analysis helps companies make sure they are meeting consumer expectations if any of those occur.
For contract reasons, I can’t speak specifically about most of the products we test. If you participate in panels frequently, you’ll start to notice some of the products you are tasting in the lab on the shelves at the grocery store and in commercials on TV. There’s a quote I use in class from the creator of Crystal Pepsi in the early 90s. In an interview, he said, “It would have been nice if I made sure the product tasted good.” That’s a clear example of a product that would have benefitted from sensory analysis.
What advice would you give to students or young professionals interested in pursuing a career in sensory science?
I would say to get involved somewhere to collect some data. Biology, psychology, and statistics are major components of sensory, but it is a lot of solving puzzles. You have a question that needs answering. How can you answer it scientifically and without bias? Having an analytical mindset is at the heart of being a sensory scientist.
Graduate school is often the easiest route to becoming a sensory scientist, but it is not the only way. There are sensory divisions in all kinds of consumer goods – cosmetics, clothing, even luxury cars. Reach out. See if they need help answering questions!
What do you like to do outside of work and/or what is a fun fact about yourself that your colleagues may not know?
I love being outside and reading. I’m quick to recommend a book and love a long walk or hike outside. I have three children, so a lot of my time outside of work is busy spending time with them. A fun fact about me is I can sing with my mouth closed. Not well by any means, but I can solidly sing the alphabet and Row, Row, Row Your Boat without opening my mouth.
