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At the forefront of food innovation, the Food & Sensory Science division combines cutting-edge food process engineering with in-depth sensory science to deliver holistic solutions for the development of tasty, nutritious, and sustainable food products. By integrating expertise from food material science, process engineering and sensory science, we reveal the underpinning principles as well as controlling mechanisms of food oral processing and oral digestion, the interactions between food (and food components) with human sensory systems, the implications of food sensory to health and general wellness. We deliver integrated solutions to create tasty and affordable food products that resonate with consumer needs while supporting sustainable and healthy eating.

We study how food breaks down in the mouth, activating taste, smell, and trigeminal receptors to shape flavor and mouthfeel perception. By exploring the physics of oral processing and the physiology of sensation, we uncover the mechanisms behind bolus formation, swallowing, and the overall sensory experience.

Key capabilities

• Food physics of oral processing: We apply advanced instrumental techniques for in vitro and in situ analysis of food breakdown and bolus formation. Methods include food rheology, oral tribology, particle sizing, and imaging to assess oral food de-structuring and re-structuring.
• Physiology of oral processing: We examine how oral physiology responds to food stimuli, studying oro-facial muscle activity, tongue movement, saliva secretion, and nasal fluid composition. Our research also explores how factors like age, gender, and ethnicity influence sensory responses.
• Physiology of sensory perception: We investigate how sensory stimuli translate into perception, focusing on sensory receptors (gustatory, olfactory, and tactile), neural activity, and the mouth-brain and nose-brain axes.
• Characterisation of food sensory attributes: We develop innovative methodologies and instrumental techniques to objectively assess sensory attributes such as aroma, taste, texture, and mouthfeel. These insights support both laboratory research and industrial applications for predicting consumer preferences.

Through research into eating behaviour, bolus properties, energy intake, and satiety responses, we develop strategies to guide portion selection, energy regulation, and healthier food choices. By combining psychophysical techniques with consumer science research, we identify how sensory cues can be leveraged to positively influence food choice, nutrition and diet.

• Sensory analysis and consumer behaviour studies: We utilise trained panels and consumer survey study to assess sensory quality and consumers’ preference of food products. Our state-of-the-art sensory laboratories and demo kitchen, supported by specialized software tools and our large participant database, provide unique facilities in the region.
• Sensory nutrition: Our key research question is how sensory performance and capability affect and regulate one’s nutrition intake and general health. Examples include food choices, ingestive behaviour, food intake rate and amount, satisfaction and pleasure of eating, satiety and more. Observations of food intake will further be supported by identification and analysis of key biomarkers.

The Food Structure and Processing team is dedicated to developing sustainable and affordable future foods with optimal sensorial and nutritional quality. By applying food science and technology, we transform regional agrifood raw materials into functional food ingredients through mild processing. We leverage novel ingredients like fermentation-derived biomass and cultivated cells, utilizing data-driven formulation strategies, to create new future food concepts that promote health and well-being for a sustainable future.

Our mission is to understand how food processing impacts texture, taste, and nutrition in complex multi-component food structures, addressing concerns related to overprocessing, clean labelling and nutritional value. Using data-driven approaches, we optimize ingredient selection, processing, formulation, and prototyping. We collaborate with dietitians and chefs, integrating sensory tools and consumer insights to design tailored food solutions.

Key Capabilities

• Food Material Science for Value-Added Ingredients: Leveraging our in-house database for smart selection of ingredients, mild fractionation, and ingredient modification to enhance nutrition, taste and affordability of future foods.
• Food Structure Design: Development and optimisation of thermo-mechanical and non-thermal structuring of protein, carbohydrate and lipid formulations at micro- and macro-scale using computational modelling and in-line data analysis.
• Formulation, Prototyping and Scale-up: Reverse engineering of food product prototypes tailored to Asian consumers, leveraging our state-of-the-art pilot-scale facility at the Food Tech Innovation Centre.