Nottingham's Super Foods

Have you ever wondered why others do not share your love of a favourite food? We know food preferences vary greatly across the population. Could you be a Supertaster? Or maybe you’re part of the 20-50% of the population who are termed ‘thermal tasters’ as they perceive phantom taste sensations when their tongue is warmed or cooled, in the absence of any true chemical tastes in the mouth. This talk will discuss novel approaches used to understand individual variation in taste perception using sensory science and neuroimaging techniques to measure both perceived and brain response to taste.

Have you ever tried food or drink whilst blocking out your sense of smell? Taste (perceived on the tongue) and aroma compounds (perceived in the nose) combine to produce flavour. The science behind the perception of flavour is complex, and research on flavour release and perception is needed to understand how food can be optimised to meet our preferences. Katy is a scientist who studies the flavour released during the consumption of sweets and Sophie is a scientist who is working on developing foods to meet preferences of the aging population.

Something is broken in the way we produce our food. Food and agriculture now contributes to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions with half associated with the production of meat. We need to be eating less meat, or none at all. We need new ideas and new healthy proteins with low environmental impact. Biotechnology offers important solutions to ensuring a sustainable food future. Quorn foods products are already helping consumers transition away from an over dependence on meat. How has this been achieved? And what is behind this exciting application of biotechnology?