Laboratory Methods in Sensory Evaluation of Food

FOOD 529*

[last updated Jan 6, 2025]

*designated in Workday as FOOD_V529 002 2024W2

INSTRUCTOR:        Dr. Margaret Cliff (BSc, MS, PhD, CFS)           

Adjunct Professor - Sensory Evaluation & Consumer Research

COURSE INFORMATION:

PREREQUISITES:

Students should have had one introductory statistics course.

CONTACTS:

OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF:

The Teaching Assistants (TA) for W2024 are Dai Shi (Dai.shi@ubc.ca) and Komal Bakshi (KomalBakshi@ubc.ca). They will assist with preparation, delivery and grading of laboratories.

COURSE STRUCTURE:

This course (Jan-Apr 2025) will consist of 12 lectures (2 hrs/wk) and 8 laboratories (3 hrs/lab).

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to equip students with the necessary skills to conduct objective assessment of foods. It will provide students with the expertise to conduct scientifically sound, statistically valid evaluations, for the food and beverages industries. Students will get hands-on experience with the data collection, data analysis and interpretation of experimental results, during eight laboratory sessions. Emphasis is placed on experimental design and the application and use of statistics. Students will improve their oral and written communication skills. Students prepare executive summaries, for the laboratory reports, that describe: ‘what was done’, ‘how it was done’, ‘what was found’ and ‘what was concluded’. This course is intended for students interested in sensory evaluation of food and beverages. However, it is beneficial to all students desiring hands-on experience with statistical analyses and interpretation of experimental data.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. to develop an understanding of sensory psychology and physiology
2. to be able to select and implement sensory methods for a specified objective
3. to understand the capabilities and limitations of sensory tests
4. to gain experience in data collection, analysis and interpretation of sensory data
5. to gain hands-on experience with conducting statistical analyses
6. to develop written and oral communication skills
7. to gain experience with the preparation of executive summaries, describing: ‘what was done’; ‘how it was done’; ‘what was found’; and ‘what was concluded’.

LECTURE TOPICS:

LABORATORY TOPICS AND COURSE GRADING:

LEARNING MATERIALS:

LABORATORY MANUAL (required):

The laboratory manual is posted in CANVAS, but a FREE PRINTED COPY is available for everyone! It will be distributed to students during the first week of class.

        Cliff, M.A. (2025). Laboratory Methods in Sensory Evaluation of Food. FOOD 529 Course Manual                                 (pp. 1-107), University of British Columbia

TEXTBOOKS (provided):

Poste, L. M., Mackie, D. A., Butler, G., & Larmond, E. (1991). Laboratory Methods for Sensory Analysis              of Foods, Agriculture Canada Publication 1864/E (pdf posted in CANVAS).

TEXTBOOKS (optional):

Meilgaard, M., Civille, G.V., & Carr, B.T. (2019). Sensory Evaluation Techniques. Volume II (Reissued from                  1987) CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. [full text available UBC Library https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429291852]

STATISTICAL SOFTWARE:

MS EXCEL Add-in: Analysis ToolPak

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-the-analysis-toolpak-to-perform-complex-data-analysis-6c67ccf0-f4a9-487c-8dec-bdb5a2cefab6

MS EXCEL downloads: XY Chart Labeller

http://www.appspro.com/Utilities/ChartLabeler.htm

MS EXCEL downloads: Real Statistics Using MS EXCEL

  https://www.real-statistics.com/free-download/real-statistics-resource-pack/

  https://www.real-statistics.com/two-way-anova/three-factor-anova-without-replication/

  https://www.real-statistics.com/multivariate-statistics/factor-analysis/principal-component-analysis/

MINITAB Software:30-day free trial:

  http://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/minitab/features/?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=SE021810

ASSESSMENTS OF LEARNING:

The assessment of learning will be based on five written laboratory reports (Labs 1, 2, 3, 5a&5b, 6a&6a), one oral presentation (Lab 4), and two executive summaries (Lab 4, 6) and one Final Lab Report (Labs 7&8). See table above.

Laboratory reports are NOT formal reports, but rather a series of ‘answers’ to questions. Students are expected to cite references in their reports. The questions for the report are available in this manual (Cliff, 2025), as well as posted in CANVAS. Students may work with a partner to conduct the statistical analyzes, but must prepare the written reports themselves. Students should report their sensory data (from line scales) to 1-decimal place, F-values to 2-decimal places and p-values to 3-decimal places.

Oral presentations also consist of a series of ‘answers’ to questions. Students are expected to cite references in their presentation. The questions are available in this manual (Cliff, 2025), as well as posted in CANVAS. Students will work with a partner for these oral presentations. 

Should it be necessary to revise the assessment plan, any changes will be discussed with the students. A revised syllabus will be dated, emailed to the students, and posted on CANVAS.

ADDITIONAL LABORATORY INFORMATION:

LABORATORY INFORMATION:

Laboratories in this course are teaching tools only. They are designed to introduce and demonstrate sensory principles. Therefore, students acting as judges, may be more informed than usual. Lab objectives do NOT test students’ tasting and smelling abilities, but rather provide experimental data for statistical analyses and interpretation. After each lab, two students will tabulate and post in CANVAS  the classes’ data, using a MS EXCEL spreadsheet.

SPECIAL GROOMING:

Students are instructed not to use scented toiletries (perfumes, after-shaves, hand-creams) on the day of the laboratory. Course-specific lab coats will be provided for use during the sensory laboratories.

LEARNING ANALYTICS:

The instructor does not utilize learning analytics, within CANVAS, to capture data about the student activity in the course. The instructor uses the course evaluations (student feedback) to improve the curriculum.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES:

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of the policies and how to access support are available on the UBC Senate website.

COPYRIGHT:

All materials of this course (handouts, lecture slides, assessments, etc.) are the intellectual property of the Course Instructor or licensed to be used in this course by the copyright owner. Redistribution of these materials, by any means without permission of the copyright holder, constitutes a breach of copyright and may lead to academic discipline.  

INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT:

Dr. M. Cliff is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), in Vancouver Canada. She holds a MS and PhD in Food Science, specializing in Sensory Evaluation. Currently Dr. Cliff teaches a course entitled “Laboratory Methods in Sensory Evaluation of Foods” (FOOD 529) at UBC. She has been a Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Summerland BC) for more than 25 years (retired). Dr. Cliff played a key role in the success of the BC wine industry’s Vintners Quality Assurance (VQA) Program, training judges in aroma and defect recognition. She has also made an important contribution to the tree-fruit industry, through her work in identifying consumer preference of new cultivars, and relating sensory and instrumental analyses. She has published more than 100+ scientific manuscripts. In June 2022, Dr. Cliff received the CIFST W.J. Eva Award for her research and contributions to the food industry.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Margaret-Cliff https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ASuNW8QAAAAJ&hl=en

https://cifst.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Award-winners-2.jpg

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The Point Grey Campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. The land it is situated on has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam people, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next on this site.

Syllabus Version Jan 3 2025