Abstract:

The study aimed to determine the feasibility of using sensory tests to evaluate the development of the sub-competence: food product development. The study was conducted with undergraduate students from the fourth semester of Food Engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey who studied the subject: Development of Healthy Food Products, taught for five weeks and a total of 80 hours of class. A case study was designed that included the development of a vegan sausage-type product to allow students to integrate the theoretical knowledge of the subject by generating a commercially viable product.

The development of the competency under study was evaluated based on the results of the hedonic sensory tests carried out with:
a) target consumers of the product (at least 80 people) and
b) expert judges (5 judges), who evaluated through a ranking process the four products developed by the students and two commercial products that were used as control samples.

The six samples under study were identified with three-digit random numbers and presented to the judges randomly to eliminate test position errors. Both the tests with target consumers and the tests with experts were carried out under controlled laboratory conditions, observing the official procedures for its application and having the supervision of two teachers of the subject. The sample ranking process considered the evaluation of four key descriptors: texture, color, odor, and taste, as well as the overall impression of the product. For the experimental work, it was assumed that the results obtained in the sensory evaluation tests for the designed products are directly associated with developing the food design sub-competence. The final grade of the case study was established mostly by comparing the score obtained by the designed samples regarding the score obtained by the control samples in the ranking test for each descriptor and the overall impression. The grade obtained in the case study was compared with the average of the grades obtained in four quizzes designed to measure the learning of the theoretical concepts of the class. The study results showed a significant difference between the grades obtained by the students in the quizzes and those obtained in the case study. It was found that the sensory test is a valuable tool to evaluate the development of the sub-competence. The students perceived the grades assigned to the case study as fairer than the results of the quizzes. During the development of the case study, more engagement was observed compared to that observed for the theoretical activities, even when extra-class time was required for its execution. The proposed case study allowed the students to demonstrate sub-competence, consolidate the theoretical knowledge, and acquire new learning associated with the development of food products and the execution of sensory tests.

Keywords:

Undergraduate Students, Educative Innovation, Engineering Education, Competency Assessment, Enhancing Learning.