Ann Colonna

After finishing her M.S. degree in 2001, Ann started at the Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon, an off campus Oregon State University Experiment Station, where she now serves at the Sensory Program Director. She assists industry clients with sensory and consumer testing and collaborates in mission oriented research designed to advance Northwest agriculture and food products. Recent work includes: factors affecting consumers’ preferences for and purchasing decisions regarding pasteurized vs raw milk and grass-fed specialty cheeses, evaluating consumer acceptability of new Northwest strawberry varietals, perceptions of fresh vs. frozen Black cod, Coho salmon and Albacore tuna, consumer detection and acceptability of reduced-sodium bread, gauging the sensory impacts of steam treatment to combat Salmonella on in-shell hazelnuts, understanding consumer preference for grass-fed beef, assessing sensory characteristics and marketing data for Oregon Pinot Noir wine and exploring the acceptability of dulse seaweed among others.