Eurizon.eu

Organization: TI Food and Nutrition

Location: Wageningen, Netherlands

Field: Medical sciences

Requirements:

Candidate profile Master’s degree in Food Technology, Physical Chemistry, Food Chemistry, Food Physics or similar degree. Experience and/or demonstrated interest in: texture engineering and food structure design tastant and aroma release diffusion and migration oral physiology sensory sciences

Abstract:

Project description: Oral coatings, tastant migration and taste perception The release of tastants such as sugar and salt from a food product and the migration of the tastants to the taste buds is largely determined by the properties of the food product, the breakdown behaviour in the oral cavity and the formation of oral coatings. In order to modulate taste perception a tastant molecule must reach the taste buds.

Description:

Project description: Oral coatings, tastant migration and taste perception The release of tastants such as sugar and salt from a food product and the migration of the tastants to the taste buds is largely determined by the properties of the food product, the breakdown behaviour in the oral cavity and the formation of oral coatings. In order to modulate taste perception a tastant molecule must reach the taste buds. Knowledge about the velocity and concentration at which tastants reach the taste buds under different oral coating conditions is currently lacking. The focus of the PhD project is on understanding and determining factors controlling the effects of oral coatings on taste perception. The effects of macro-nutrient composition on the formation of oral coatings are studied. The chemical composition of the oral coating is determined to reveal the ingredients mainly responsible for the formation of the coating for a broad range of foods and a large group of subjects to account for well-known inter-individual differences. The relationship between removal of oral coating due to salivation which differs between subjects is determined and linked to taste perception. In addition, the effects of well-defined oral coatings varying in macro-nutrient composition on taste perception are investigated. The oral cavity and tongue of subjects are coated with solutions of different macro-nutrients such as fat, polysaccharides and proteins to obtain coatings varying in thickness and/or composition with well-defined properties. The impact of the oral coating on subsequent perception of the basic tastes is determined using time-intensity sensory methodologies. Optionally, in vitro migration studies using models reassembling oral coatings are employed to determine the mass transfer of tastants through model layers with defined properties such as layer thickness and macro-nutrient composition. Main tasks and responsibilities developing, planning and performing of specific research tasks within the project “Dynamics of texture and taste perception”. staying abreast of developments in his scientific discipline by keeping up with the scientific literature in his field and visiting scientific meetings generating ideas within the scope of the defined subject supervising of research assistants and students, where appropriate delivering results in line with the project plan milestones and deliverables keeping up with the latest scientific developments and integrating these in the project writing high-quality clearly written papers about the results obtained and getting these published in high–impact scientific journals. etc.

Deadline: 15-04-2011

Contacts:

Link: http://www.tifn.nl/

Email: personnel@tifn.nl

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