Food/Consumer Interaction
In the context of health and wellness, we not only need to understand the physiology of health but also to know and understand the consumer's relationship with food. What is it about a food that makes the consumer like and choose it?
We study in detail aspects of pleasure derived from food before, during and after consuming it. These include the pleasure of anticipation, as well as sight, texture, taste and aroma. We also investigate the feeling of satisfaction. In one sense, satiety is the reward derived from consuming a particular food. But it is also strongly linked to signals that tell you to stop eating and feel happy.
Physicists and chemists help us to understand how to deliver aroma, taste, and texture. But beyond biology, psychology or sensory behaviour, ethnic culture is also a key to understanding why a given consumer prefers certain foods over others.
The Department is truly multidisciplinary. With expertise ranging from chemistry and biology to sensory and social sciences, we are a natural bridge between Food Science and Nutrition and Health.