“The Sensory Research Center is a scientific workplace that will provide new important information for the brewing, malting, hop and beverage industries,” says RNDr. Karel Kosař, CSc., director of the Research Institute of Brewing and Malting, a.s. “We can say without any exaggeration that Czech food research acquired a big helper in researching such a sensitive area of human activity as food with respect to inspecting food quality and safety, which people in the CR require,” added Karel Kosař.
The Sensory Research center consists of a sensory laboratory and an analytical laboratory. The sensory laboratory, created in compliance with effective international standards, includes a tasting test-room with 12 tasting boxes with special lighting, IT, signalization for the operating personnel and other equipment necessary for the most objective evaluation of tested food. The test-room has air supply and odor outlet. Two separate rooms are designated for the preparation and keeping of samples. There is equipment for the preparation and heat treatment of samples, sampling and serving devices, cooling boxes, dishwashers, closets and stacker and preparation areas. The remaining rooms are used for training and for the evaluation of the results of the evaluators’ activity. The air-conditioned analytical laboratory is equipped with topnotch analytical devices with high resolution and modern IT with special software.
“The human ability to take in flavors and aromas through senses – our own sensors - is unique, and sensory analyses use them to obtain objective scientific information,” said RNDr. Miroslav Dienstbier, manager of developmental projects of the Research Institute of Brewing and Malting, a. s. “ New highly sensitive analytical devices, which are at the world level, help us to map even very small concentrations of sensory-active substances. Thanks to information from both mentioned areas, we will be able to answer many questions concerning food and its quality,” added Miroslav Dienstbier.
In addition to its main activity, which is industrial research, the Sensory Research Center will focus on cooperation with the food industry in checking sensory quality and developing new products. As its additional activity, the Sensory Research Center will educate specialists and cooperate with high schools and universities and will be available for the public as well as e.g. for commercial contests and consumer tests.
The Sensory Research Center’s project No. CZ.2.16/3.1.00/28030, the cost of which exceeded 15 million CZK, received a contribution of 6 million CZK from the Operational Programme Prague – Competitiveness.