Dr. Bartoshuk studies sensory perception of foods (e.g., taste, olfaction and irritation/pain). She and her students have developed new measurement techniques for quantifying sensations as well as the pleasure/displeasure these sensations evoke. Traditional sensory evaluation compares samples (e.g., is coffee A better than coffee B?). The new techniques permit valid comparisons of consumers (e.g., is coffee liked better by women than men?). Her lab discovered supertasters (individuals who experience unusually intense tastes) and studies the consequences of taste pathology (e.g., taste damage can lead to weight gain). Most recently, Dr. Bartoshuk has collaborated with horticulturists to connect sensory variation in fruit with variation in fruit palatability.
