University opens up taste panel testing to public

14-Sep-2016 - Last updated on 15-Sep-2016 at 07:28 GMT

Testing: the aim is to offer businesses a bigger selection of people from a wider demographic

Cardiff Metropolitan University is opening its food sensory evaluation testing to the public to allow food and drink businesses to access data from specific demographic groups.

Zero2Five Food Industry Centre (FIC), part of the university’s Cardiff School of Health Sciences, has launched an online database recruitment system to recruit individuals to take part in sensory analysis at the centre.

The recruitment system will be open to external participants for the first time so that the centre can compile a database with a more diverse demographic from across the area.

Previously, the database had included students and staff.

‘Taste panel sessions’

Jamie Old, FIC research assistant, said: “Opening up our taste panel sessions to people outside the university means we can offer businesses a bigger selection of people from a wider demographic – if they want the opinions of a specific demographic, we can provide them with this.”

Zero2Five FIC provides businesses with technical, operational and commercial support to enable them to compete more effectively.

Within the FIC there are facilities that businesses can utilise, including the Sensory Evaluation Suite, which is one of the largest in the UK and the only facility of its kind in Wales.

Lewis Pie and Pasty

Swansea-based Lewis Pie and Pasty Company attributed part of their success in developing new products to the Sensory Evaluation Suite.

Kim Lewis, technical manager at Lewis Pie, said: “We have used the sensory lab on a few occasions when we have developed new and improved products.

“This has benefited us greatly as we get honest feedback on the results.”