March 15, 2018
Groups of meat consumers needed for research studies
K-State's meat science program is conducting beef and pork taste panels and visual appraisal panels. This is an opportunity for groups in the community — churches, 4-H clubs, youth sports clubs, schools, etc. — to gather interested members to fundraise; participants will be paid for their involvement. The panels are related to graduate student research projects.
Groups are asked to recruit and provide groups of eight or 24 individual consumers for sessions. Sessions last approximately one hour and take place in Weber Hall. Each participant will either taste and rate the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of different samples or answer visual appraisal questions within the session. Participants also will be asked to voluntarily answer a few questions. Participants must be at least 18-65; prefer no college-age participants at this time. Participants also must consume meat at least once per week.
Upon completion of the tasting session, each participant will receive $20 cash paid directly to the individual. Interested groups may sign up for as many sessions as they wish, provided each participant only participates one time per semester. All session groups must be a complete group of eight or 24 before we can start the panel, as this is dictated by the design of the study.
The panels are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To facilitate scheduling, interested groups are asked to sign up for panels on the earliest available date as possible.
All information collected is confidential and your participation is completely voluntary. You can stop at any time during the trial. You can skip any questions on the sensory ballot that you don't feel comfortable answering. Your name will not be collected or associated with any of your answers.
Please pass this information along to any groups in the community. The current study is set to involve more than 600 participants, so help is needed in recruiting interested groups. To schedule a time or for any questions please contact Lauren Prill at meatscience@k-state.edu.