Beginning in March, current Cornell students have had the opportunity to take a class led by Carmela Beliciu, where they practice evaluating the sensory properties of different dairy products. Sensory evaluation skills are very important to dairy industry professionals in assessing product quality and potential processing opportunities. Students who participate in the Sensory Evaluation of Dairy Products class have the opportunity to attend several Collegiate Dairy Product Evaluation competitions a year.
On April 12-14th, Cornell sent 3 students; Ivania Hartanto, Clint Hervert and Caroline Kesselem to the 3rd Annual Student Dairy Showcase in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which is part of the 2016 International Cheese Technology Expo. Cornell was 1 of 5 Universities represented at the showcase, where the students and judges evaluated cheese, butter and yogurt produced at participating University Creameries. The Student Dairy Showcase is a great opportunity for students to receive feedback on their sensory evaluation skills from expert technical judges while networking with dairy industry personnel from all over the world! Cornell’s dairy products (made with student involvement) taken to the show included the signature Cornell Big Red Cheddar (aged 1 year), the new prototype, CamemBear and Cornell Greek Yogurt. All three of these products received very high scores (+96) and where highly lauded by the judges.
The students’ comments on the sensory evaluation program (below) show the importance of engaging and exposing future industry leaders to these types of events with professionals in the industry.
“As an active member of Cornell University’s dairy sensory evaluation team, the Student Dairy Showcase offered numerous opportunities to interact with industry leaders while exhibiting our excellent dairy products. The Cheese Expo and Student Dairy Showcase was an excellent experience and I would like to thank the individuals both inside and outside of our Department that made the trip possible.” Clint Hervert
“Aside from the fact that we ended up with really great scores, it was an awesome experience to learn about the dairy evaluation process from the judges. They walked us through their reactions of our products and the scoring that went along with them. I feel more knowledgeable about the dairy sensory process because of their interactions with us. They were very encouraging about certain things that could be changed to make our cheese even better.” Caroline Kesselem
“This was part of the 2016 International Cheese Technology Expo, a big event, where you can update with the new technology and try the best cheeses from the world. Overall, as a food science student, I found this experience very rewarding. It was such a great event both to learn about cheese and to build network within the cheese business. I am grateful to have this opportunity and even more, proud to showcase Cornell’s dairy products.” Ivania Hartanto
We would like to acknowledge and thank those who have donated thus far to support this program:
Great Lakes Cheese
The 1,200 Farm Families of Agrimark/Cabot/McCadam
Northeast Dairy Foods Association Boosters
Northeast Dairy Foods Association Board of Directors
