The Rheology and Sensory Research Program
::::: Mission Statement
The mission of the Rheology and Sensory Program is to conduct both basic and applied research addressing the challenges that face the food industry with respect to the sensory quality of foods. This program is directed toward providing basic information to the US food industry so that food quality can be optimized. The program focuses on the evaluation of processes and their effects on sensory quality, the development of instrumental methodologies for reliably predicting sensory characteristics of foods, and the understanding of the relationship between consumer preference and sensory properties of foods.
The Program is multidisciplinary in nature and involves Principal Investigators from the Food Science, Poultry Science, Animal Science, and Agricultural Economics & Agri Business Departments.
::::: Program Description
One of the unique characteristics of this Program is the availability at the UofA, within the Institute of Food Science and Engineering, of a professional descriptive sensory panel. The panel comprises 12 professionals (hourly employees) trained in quantifying sensory attributes of foods including appearance, aroma, flavor and texture. The method used by the panel (Sensory Spectrum Profiling) is tailored to be extremely flexible with regard to the types of foods that can be profiled. As a result, the panel is able to profile sensory characteristics of foods such as meats and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and grains. This feature will facilitate collaborative efforts among scientists dealing with various food commodities.

The program is organized in three interactive research areas:
>>>[ Sensory Properties Characterization: ]
Addresses needs in the areas of evaluation method development and quality assessment. Quality assessment is performed and related to food process issues such as process effects, quality control, product shelf life and product development.
>>>[Consumer and Market Research]
Addresses issues concerning the development of a better understanding for consumer preference and/or acceptance of food products. In particular, efforts are devoted to the evaluation and utilization of state-of-the-art modeling methods to predict consumer preference from sensory characteristics exhibited by foods.

>>>[Analytical Tools Development]
The flagship of the Program. Focuses on the development of alternative rapid instrumental methods for predicting sensory properties of foods. Specifically, instrumental methods incorporating advanced modeling techniques such as Artificial Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic are being used to predict food texture from mechanical measurements.