Travis O’Quinn, Ph.D.
Sr. Research Associate
Department of Animal and Food Sciences
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX, 79409
To all interested parties:
Texas Tech University’s Meat Science Program is conducting beef taste panels, which are an opportunity for groups in the community (churches, youth sports clubs, schools, etc.) to raise money for their organization. The panels are portion of a large, nation-wide study evaluating beef eating characteristics in an effort to develop a palatability-based beef grading system.
Participating groups are asked to recruit and provide groups of 22 individual beef consumers for tasting sessions. Sessions last approximately one hour and are conducted in the Animal and Food Science Building at Texas Tech University. Each participant will taste and rate the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of seven different beef samples within the session. Participants must be 18 years old or older and consume beef at least once a week.
Groups will be paid $25/person in each 22 person group. Fundraising groups may sign up for as many 22 person sessions as they wish, provided each participant only participates one time. For example, a group can make $1100 ($550/22 person session) for signing up for only two one hour beef tasting sessions. All session groups must be a complete group of 22 as this is dictated by the design of the study.
Panels will be conducted throughout the fall and early spring during week nights. Panel times are typically available on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights at 6, 7, and 8 PM and are filled on a first come first serve basis. In order to facilitate scheduling, interested groups are asked to sign up for panels on the earliest available date as possible.
Please feel free to pass this information along to any groups in the community who may be interested. The current study is set to involve more than 8000 participants, so help is needed in recruiting interested groups.
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you!
Travis O’Quinn
This study has been approved by the Human Research Protection Program at Texas Tech University.
