Laboratory exercises are a necessary part of science education. They
enable students to better understand the principles discussed in
lectures, and provide them with hands-on experience of the practical
aspects of scientific research. The purpose of this book is to provide
students and instructors with a time-tested set of lab exercises that
illustrate the common sensory tests and/or sensory principles used in
evaluation of foods, beverages and consumer products. The appendices
will also include a set of simple problem sets that can be used to teach
and reinforce basic statistical tests. Approximately twenty years ago
the Sensory Evaluation Division of the Institute of Food Technologists
sponsored the preparation of a set of exercises titled "Guidelines for
Laboratory Exercises for a Course in Sensory Evaluation of Foods,"
edited by one of the co-authors (Heymann). This book will provide
additional materials from the second author (Lawless), as well as other
instructors, in a uniform format that can be easily adopted for course
use. Most importantly, the lab exercises will complement the flagship
textbook in the field, Sensory Evaluation of Foods: Principles and
Practices, 2E, also by Lawless and Heymann and published by Springer.
Possible course adoption of the main text along with the lab manual
should enhance the sales of these materials.