Summary
Radical reduction of fat, salt or sugar results in unacceptable changes in
product texture, taste and flavour which can lead to products being rejected by
consumers. Successful strategies to reduce these ingredients aim at maintaining
product quality, texture and taste in reformulated low-fat, low-salt or
low-sugar versions.
This project aims to uncover, test and validate the oral mechanisms involved in
the temporal perception of texture and taste and to provide design rules for
fat, salt and sugar reduction in foods. Factors which contribute to the
temporal perception of texture and taste have been determined by establishing
relationships between food properties, oral behaviour, oral coatings, food
breakdown, tastant-macronutrient interactions and sensory perception. The
fundamental knowledge provided by the project will help the food industry to
provide products that are low in fat, salt or sugar but retain excellent
sensory performance.
TI Food and Nutrition Project Leader: Dr Markus Stieger
Time Frame: March 2011 – December 2014