34 OregonStater.org Nothing matters more than taste. We might pride ourselves on healthy eating, frugal shopping or ethical sourcing. But let’s face it: If we don’t like how a food tastes, we’re not gonna buy it. That’s why knowing what a target audience finds delicious is valuable — and why OSU has spent more than six decades asking volunteers questions: Is this too sweet/sour/ salty? Did you find this soft/firm/ crunchy enough? Do you like the mouthfeel? And so on. Even after 20-plus years of experience, Ann Colonna is regularly surprised by findings. She directs the sensory and consumer testing program at the Food Innovation Center in Portland. Located downtown near Union Station, the FIC is a public service program of OSU and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, created to help the state add value to the abundance of raw agricultural products grown and harvested here. “It’s a really rewarding job,” Colonna said. One of the things she enjoys most is helping growers develop new varieties. She’s worked on multi-year projects with pears (did you know Oregon is No. 2 in the nation for pear production?) and hazelnuts (tester comment: “I had no idea hazelnuts could be so different!”).
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