Trainee - Sensory Characterization of Pilot-Scale Products (W/M)

Bel; Lons-le-Saunier; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 17,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site internship

Job summary

Bel Group offers a 6-month on-site internship in Lons-le-Saunier (France) to develop and implement sensory methodologies for pilot-scale products. You will work within the Flavor & Taste Research team, collaborating with flavor scientists and product developers.

You will review current practices, standardize protocols, and build user-friendly data capture tools, while evaluating training materials and analyzing datasets with statistical tools. English proficiency and a BAC+4/5 level are required.

Qualifications

• Master’s student in food science, sensory science, chemistry, or related field with interest in sensory analysis and data analysis.
• Proficiency in English is essential.
• Willingness to learn applied statistical analysis and data handling.
• Interest in linking sensory perception with product formulation.

Responsibilities

• Review current sensory evaluation practices used across the team.
• Develop and standardize sensory protocols for pilot-scale product assessments.
• Create a simple user-friendly data capture interface for internal tasters.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of current panel training materials and propose metrics.
• Test and assess new sensory methodologies introduced within the team.
• Structure, clean, and analyze collected sensory data using statistical tools.
• Identify additional information needed to strengthen datasets.
• Present findings and recommendations to the broader research team.

Skills

Sensory analysis

Data analysis

Statistical analysis

Python

R

JMP

Teamwork

Education

Master’s student / BAC+4/5 in food science or related field

Engineering School equivalent

Tools

Python

R

JMP

XLStat

Job description

The Bel Group is a major player in the food industry through portions of dairy, fruit and plant-based products, and one of the world leaders in branded cheeses. Its portfolio of differentiated and internationally recognized brands includes The Laughing Cow®, Kiri®, Babybel®, Boursin®, Pom'Potes® and GoGo squeeZ®, as well as some 30 local brands. Together, these brands helped the Group generate sales of €3.74 billion in 2024.

Do you want to join a company with strong brands that puts consumers and responsibility at the heart of the decision-making process? Then Bel is made for you!

Are you bold, pragmatic, and determined? Do you want to contribute to the transformation of an international agri-food company? Them come join us and measure the impact of your talent and energy in realizing an ambitious and sustainable company project!

As part of our ambition to strengthen the scientific foundations of flavor and taste research, our team is accelerating the development of robust, data-driven sensory approaches. This evolution is supported by growing needs to better collect, structure, and leverage sensory data generated throughout pilot‑scale product development and internal evaluations.

To support several strategic initiatives, we are recruiting an intern to contribute to the development, digitalization, and implementation of sensory methodologies within the Flavor & Taste Research team.

A key component of the role will be to build standardized approaches for evaluating pilot‑scale prototypes and to assess the effectiveness of panel training materials and new sensory evaluation methods.

The student will work closely with flavor scientists, sensory specialists, and product development teams, in an innovative environment focused on scientific rigor and consumer relevance. The intern will help establish recurring informal tasting protocols, strengthen data quality, and support the creation of tools that enable reliable interpretation of sensory insights

PLACE AND DATE

Duration of the internship: 6 months

Start of the internship: March/April 2026

Location: Lons-le-Saunier, Bourgogne-Franche-Comte, France (On‑site)

MAIN MISSION

The Flavor and Taste team of the Applied Research Department of the Bel Group is recruiting an intern to work on the development and implementation of sensory methodology for pilot‑scale products.

As part of this mission, you will be responsible for:

• Conducting a review of current sensory evaluation practices used across the team
• Developing and standardizing sensory protocols for pilot‑scale product assessments
• Creating a simple user‑friendly data capture interface (e.g., "Google Form or equivalent") suited to the workflow of internal tasters
• Evaluating the effectiveness of current panel training materials and proposing metrics or approaches to measure their impact
• Testing and assessing the performance of new sensory methodologies introduced within the team
• Structuring, cleaning, and analyzing collected sensory data using appropriate statistical or multivariate tools
• Identifying additional information needed to strengthen the robustness and interpretability of sensory datasets
• Presenting findings and recommendations to the broader research team

PROFILE

Master’s student / Engineering School (BAC+4/5) in food science, sensory science, chemistry, or related field, with specialization or strong interest in sensory analysis and/or data analysis. Proficiency in English is essential. A strong motivation to work with sensory and flavor‑related data, curiosity, autonomy, active listening, and strong analytical skills. Comfortable interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for scientific challenges. Experience with—or willingness to learn—applied statistical analysis (e.g., XLStat, R, Python, JMP, etc.). A taste for experimental work and for linking sensory perception with product formulation.

Your ability to work in a team, your interpersonal skills, your rigor, your proactivity, and your organizational skills will enable you to successfully complete this mission.

Additionally, you should feel comfortable supporting internal sensory evaluations and collaborating with sensory experts to prepare and disseminate tasting sessions for the products.