Success skills have been ranked as the most important core competency for new food science professionals to have by food science graduates and their employers. It is imperative that food science instructors promote active learning in food science courses through experiential learning activities to enhance student success skills such as oral and written communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and team work. The aim of this study was to incorporate "real-world" experiential learning into a food product development course. Undergraduate students enrolled in a food product development course worked on a semester-long product development case study developed by the Instructor of the course and the Manager from ACH Food Companies, Inc. The case study was presented to students in the form of a product development competition. Students were placed into groups and given the task to develop a cake mix with specified parameters. At the end of the semester, student groups participated in a case study competition to showcase their product concepts. Each student group gave a PowerPoint presentation and was evaluated using selected criteria. Students rated the course overall as being very good. Students perceived the case study to be beneficial and informative regarding employer (ACH's) expectations. Students recommended that the Instructor minimize restrictions/specifications for product concepts and increase the quantity of course/laboratory meetings per week. This approach will continue to be used and further evaluated as an approach to incorporate active learning and provide food science undergraduates with a sense of employer expectations.

Natural antimicrobials, such as grape seed extract (GSE), have been investigated for their efficacy against spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogens linked to foodborne illness outbreaks associated with raw and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. While many natural antimicrobial efficacy studies fail to include sensory testing, one critical factor that must be addressed when considering the potential use or application of natural antimicrobials is their impact on sensory perception. The objectives of this study were to determine how GSE modifies perceived sensory characteristics of raw carrots, grapes, kale, and spinach and to assess consumer liking of GSE‐treated fresh produce. Participants (n = 71) evaluated appearance, texture, aroma, and taste characteristics and indicated their overall liking for the selected produce. No significant differences were found among sensory characteristics for treated and untreated carrots, grapes, and spinach. GSE‐treated kale was found to have a significantly stronger aroma and darker color than untreated kale. Practical Applications Natural antimicrobials are increasingly being applied to minimally processed foods including fresh produce as a food safety intervention strategy against spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogens. Many research studies investigate the efficacy of natural antimicrobials but fail to incorporate sensory testing to ensure that they do not directly or indirectly alter perceived sensory characteristics, such as appearance, texture, and flavor. Research results will aid food processors of minimally processed foods by (a) providing insight as to how consumers perceive fresh produce treated with natural antimicrobials and (b) increasing awareness and understanding of the effect of natural antimicrobials on perceived sensory characteristics of fresh produce. Grape seed extract (i.e., 1 mg/1 ml) may be applied to fresh produce, specifically carrots, grapes, and spinach, without significantly altering appearance, texture, aroma, and taste characteristics. This study demonstrated the importance of conducting sensory testing for natural antimicrobials; results suggest that observed sensory impacts may be produce‐specific.

A 118 mL low‐density polyethylene squeeze bottle with a 24‐mm flip‐top cap was compared for its administration potential for human judgments of wine vapor‐phase stimuli with a 414‐mL wine glass, using three measures: (1) perceptual differences for wine incubated for 24 h in the squeeze bottle or the wine glass; (2) discrimination between alcoholic and dealcoholized (less than 0.5% alcohol by volume) wine; and (3) comparison of orthonasal response rates for wines. It was found that wine vapor‐phase stimuli could be discriminated retronasally (P < 2.33 × 10−4) and orthonasally (P < 3.4 × 10−6) using the squeeze bottles. There was no significant difference between correct orthonasal response rates for wines administered in squeeze bottles and wine glasses (P = 0.81). No evidence of polyethylene odorant migration or scalping of wine vapor was found, suggesting that the polyethylene squeeze bottle may be suitable for retronasal and orthonasal studies of aroma for beverages such as wine. Practical Applications The conducted research may provide a basis for future methodology developments regarding vapor‐phase stimuli administration for smell research and evaluations involving beverages such as wine. Using a delivery container like a polyethylene squeeze bottle to evaluate wine vapor‐phase stimuli allows human smell perceptions to be better understood without taste interactions.

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