Sensory Science

Do you ever wonder how people perceive the sensory aspects of food? Would you like to delve into the processing of sensory signals, eating behaviour, memory and learning, food preferences, acceptance, desires and satisfaction, or food product properties? Then the specialisation ‘Sensory Science’ might be a good choice for you.

Sensory Science is multi-facetted. You could delve into the processing of sensory signals, eating behaviour and memory and learning. But you can also discover all ins and outs of food preferences, acceptance, desires and satisfaction. As this specialisation is closely connected with the Food Technology program, you can also deepen your knowledge about food product properties.

In this specialisation, you will follow the course Principles of Sensory Science and choose courses like Clinical Eating behaviour, Advanced Sensory Methods & Sensometrics, and Instrumental Sensory Science. Additionally, you can choose courses like Food Flavour Design or Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour and you can broaden your nutrition knowledge with courses like Design & Interpretation of Nutrition Intervention Studies and Nutrition and the Brain.

During your MSc thesis, you have the opportunity to develop your research skills while you work on a specific topic at one of the chair groups. Within this specialization, you can choose from two chair groups:

• Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour
• Food Quality and Design

Thesis examples

• Effect of smell loss on eating behaviour (Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour)
• Energy intake, eating behaviour and metabolic responses of (ultra-) processed foods (Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour)
• Measuring gastric emptying rate with MRI scans in people with a stomach reduction (Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour)
• Acceptance of edible insects by school children (Food Quality and Design)
• Plant protein and flavour interaction: Unravelling the underlying mechanism and its influence on flavour perception (Food Quality and Design)
• The effect of adding toppings to Gluten Free bread on oral processing behaviours, bolus properties and sensory perception (Food Quality and Design)