Quick Summary
- New sensory room offers immersive experience for food product research
- Offers 360-degree view of various environments
- Allows electronic control of sounds and smells
What makes a cup of coffee or an energy bar enjoyable is usually more than just the taste. The surrounding environment may also influence the experience.
With that in mind, the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis, has constructed a new multisensory immersive room that can be used for product development, innovation and research.
Julien Delarue, associate professor in sensory and consumer science, emphasizes that testing food products in a realistic environment can help collect more authentic consumer opinions. Delarue鈥檚 research focuses on methods to measure sensory perception and preferences, as well as the effective use of that feedback in food design.
鈥淔or some types of sensory sessions that relate to behavior or preferences, I would strongly advise to try to be as close as possible to real life,鈥 Delarue said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to connect to real life; it鈥檚 crucial for the food industry.鈥
Switch scenes with a tap of a button
Delarue led the effort to redesign an already existing sensory lab equipped with standard sensory booths at the Robert Mondavi Institute Sensory building to give participants an immersive, real-life experience.
![澳门六合彩开奖结果走势图 graduate student in shadow uses a tablet to control special effects of the room with 360 degree video surrounding him.](/sites/default/files/media/images/sensory%20room%20copy.jpg)
The room is equipped with six video projectors that are synchronized to display high-definition videos onto the four walls of the room that show a 360-degree view of various environments, such as a restaurant, a hiking trail or a beach.
鈥淭he context is all around and you鈥檙e part of it,鈥 Delarue said. 鈥淭he idea is to immerse participants in different environments.鈥
Delarue can make changes to the simulated scenery with a touch of a button. Using an electronic tablet, he can control heating lamps, misters and fans to adjust the temperature in the room, as well as air conditions. There are also mounted speakers to provide spatialized audio, such as ambient natural sounds, and a mechanism that releases scents.
Making sensory testing more authentic
Rather than using a lab setting, Delarue plans to conduct first experiments in the new sensory immersion room to collect data regarding energy bars. He hopes that measuring consumer preferences or behavior when individuals can experience a product in a real-life setting will be more accurate.
鈥淚n a lab, people may not behave normally and could possibly be biased,鈥 he explained. 鈥淚f I give you a sample in a lab, you鈥檒l taste a spoon of it or have a sip and give an answer; it鈥檚 like a test. If I immerse you, you will spend more time and enjoy the experience more and give a better account of your experience.鈥
The immersive room may also be used to test nonfood products, including cosmetics, skincare items or textile creations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for any industry and for research in general because you want to catch the real behavior,鈥 Delarue said.
Media Resources
Media Contacts:
- Julien Delarue, Food Science and Technology, jdelarue@ucdavis.edu
- Tiffany Dobbyn, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 530-524-3120, tadobbyn@ucadavis.edu
- Amy Quinton, News and Media Relations, 530-601-8077, amquinton@ucdavis.edu