Physical and sensory properties of food and consumer science

Our group studies the physical and sensory properties of foods to find out how they are related to quality, perceptions and acceptability to consumers. We try to develop new formulations through an understanding of the contribution that each ingredient/component makes to the food's rheological, thermal and mechanical properties and the relations between these and its structure. We investigate the technological functionality of ingredients, the changes that take place during different types of processing and storage, and their relation to sensory properties. We study the means to create, modify and improve the physical properties of formulated foods to adapt them to different needs. We research consumer expectations and perceptions before and during food consumption, examining the effects of both sensory and non-sensory contextual properties (packaging, claims, nutritional information, etc.) and their relations to choice and acceptability.