Sensory & Consumer Testing
Sensory & Consumer Testing
The Sensory Lab within CSU Spur’s Food Innovation Center is a team of sensory professionals that are trained to execute novel and standard sensory methodologies. Our testing facility includes six private serving booths with controlled airflow and lighting and iPads for data collection. Our Sensory Lab is also connected to the Terra Teaching Kitchen which houses diverse restaurant-grade equipment.
All sensory testing services come with the use of Compusense software and full access to our consumer database. In addition to our standard sensory testing spaces, we also have a dedicated focus group room with full audio/visual capabilities and a private viewing room. Whether you are just starting to apply sensory testing in your quality team or looking for a reliable external descriptive panel, our team and facilities can make it happen!
What is Sensory Science?
Sensory science is the scientific discipline of taste-testing.
The goal of sensory science is to evoke, measure, analyze, and interpret the human response to food. Most often, the goal of sensory testing is to control the consumption experience so that a taste-tester (a.k.a. sensory panelist) can focus on only taste, smell, texture, or other similar properties. Sometimes, sensory testing works with panelists who are trained to identify and describe the properties of certain foods and beverages. Other times, sensory testing focuses on how the average consumer views a product.
There are many different approaches to conducting sensory and consumer testing, and they each have a time and place. Our team is here to help you identify which sensory and consumer testing methods best suite your business objectives to improve the flavor and potential of your products. There are a lot of great resources out there to help you better understand sensory and consumer testing if you are new to the field!
Services
We offer sensory and consumer testing services at CSU Spur, from basic discrimination tests to complex descriptive panels. We recruit all our panelists from the greater Denver metropolitan area, of which less than 3% are university students. Our lab can handle storage, preparation, and service for any food or beverage product, including advanced culinary dishes prepared by trained chefs. We can also conduct sensory and consumer tests with children of any age.
We have experience with the following products, but we are always seeking to add more to the list!
- Sausage
- Ground Beef
- Chicken Nuggets
- Alternative Meat
- Rice
- Hot Cocoa
- Chocolate
- Frozen Foods
- Fresh Produce (Strawberries, Tomatoes, Herbs)
- Cheese
- Cough Drops
- Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Starters (Raw)
- Wine
- Cookies
- Frozen Appetizers
- Flavor Extracts
- Dehydrated Fruit
- Non-Alcoholic Beer
- Non-Alcoholic Flavored Seltzer Water
- Hard Cider
For more information about our services and capabilities, please contact our Sensory Manager, Dr. Martha Calvert.
Consulting
- Can be virtual or on-site
- For non-confidential questions or advice, visit our page on Services and Documents and fill out a General Inquiries submission
Discrimination Testing
- Used to determine if two products are noticeably different
- Tetrad, duo-trio, AFC, same-different testing
- 2+ samples
- Targeting 65-120 panelists
Affective Testing
- Used to determine how consumers feel about your products, including how consumers like your product compared to a competitor
- 3+ samples
- Can include purchase intent, product concept approval, or other behavioral questions
- Targeting specific screening criteria, and 75-200 panelists
Novel Methodologies
- Rapid descriptive methods (including Rate-all-that-apply, Check-all-that-apply) with advanced data analysis
- Sorting tasks
- Text mining, biterm topic modeling
- Flavor wheel development
Qualitative Consumer Research
- Used for openly asking consumers about perceptions, ideas, and habits
- In-house moderation and transcription services available
- Full facility and technology use (two-way mirror, audio and video recording)
- Optional support for data analysis
Descriptive Testing
- Used to determine the attributes that can describe and differentiate samples
- 4-8 week project start-up and panelist training period
- 8-12 trained panelists
- Final pricing based on desired number of attributes, samples, and time estimates
Our Resources and Equipment
The Sensory Lab has a variety of resources available to our sensory clients. If you have any questions, please contact us through our Contact Form on the Request Services page.
Our Resources and Equipment
- Central Location Testing rooms for large consumer studies
- Spanish-translation services
- Community engagement and extension personnel for targeted recruitment strategies
- Access to Spur’s 2nd Saturday events (for testing with children and families)
- Compusense software
- Branded marketing opportunities
- Consumer database (>1700 local participants)
- Trained Panelist database (>20 participants)
- Tools and skills for advanced data analysis, visualizations, and text mining in R software
In addition to all of the equipment listed here, we also have:
- Multiple microwaves
- Warming trays
- Various beakers and cylinders
- Black wine glasses
Useful Links and References
- Sensory Evaluation of Food: Principles and Practices by Harry T. Lawless & Hildegarde Heymann
- Sensory Evaluation in Quality Control by Alejandra M. Munoz, Gail Vance Civille, & B. Thomas Carr
- Novel Techniques in Sensory Characterization and Consumer Profiling by Paula Varela & Gaston Ares
- Successful Qualitative Research by Virginia Braun & Victoria Clarke
- Market Research for Market Readiness Manual by Catherine Durham and Ann Colonna (Oregon State University)
Want to Become a Taste-Tester with us?
Calling all Taste Buds! Being a taste-tester or sensory panelist is a fun and unique way to contribute to your food system.
CSU Spur’s taste testing lab is always looking for people to evaluate all kinds of food, beverage, and even non-food items (like cough drops and lotion!). Many local and regional companies need input from consumers just like you to help them make better products!
As a taste-tester in our database, you will:
1. Look For Emails From Us
We’ll let you know about new and upcoming opportunities where you can GET PAID! We usually send ~1-2 emails per month and we never provide your email address or information to any third parties.
2. Set up a Compusense Account!
Compusense is a software program that we use to schedule and execute sensory tests. Through our Compusense platform, you will be able to make your own account as a panelist, schedule your participation in specific studies, and take screener surveys to qualify for specific tests. When you set up your Compusense Account, it is important to remember your log in credentials.
3. Come to CSU Spur to Taste!
Taste tests are held at CSU Spur in the Terra Building, located at 4780 National Western Drive and free parking is available in the N lot, which is a large parking lot directly behind the horse stables of the Vida building. If you need visual instructions, check out this link with specific instructions and a Parking Map.
4. Get Paid!
Most but not all sensory studies will pay you to participate, and payment is usually dependent upon how long a test will take or how many panelists we need. If you have any questions about payment, contact any of our Sensory Lab personnel before you participate in a study.