Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour Group
Understanding how sensory properties influence food choice, intake and health. Sensory science functions as a bridge between consumer, food, eating behaviour, health and well-being. The main research challenge of the Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour group is to better understand eating behaviour from a sensory, physiological and psychological perspective.
Research lines
-
Food structure, oral processing and sensory perception
How do food structure, oral processing and sensory perception (e.g. related to smell, taste, eating rate, satiation/satiety) influence energy intake, diet, and our eating behaviour and how can these processes be acknowledged in interventions to improve healthy eating behavior/lifestyle.
-
Food-Gut-Brain
How do metabolic signals of the food-gut-brain interplay (e.g. related to sensory aspects, nutritional properties, hormones, digestion, metabolism) influence the physiological and neurobiological responses underlying eating behaviour and how can these processes/mechanisms help us to give more inside on food intake, food choices and eating behaviour to improve health.
-
Food preferences & eating behaviour across the life-span
How do food preferences and sensory perception develop and play a role in our daily life (e.g. related to food choices, appetite, energy intake, calorie selection) and how can these sensory properties influence healthy food choice and intake behaviours in such way that health and well-being is promoted.
Education
We contribute to several bachelor and master programmes.
Forthcoming course – the Age of Pleasure
Our publications
-
Untangling the interplay between food microstructure, mechanical properties, macrostructural breakdown and in vitro gastric protein digestion
Wageningen University. Promotor(en): M. Stieger, co-promotor(en): A.E.M. Janssen, P.A.M. Smeets - Wageningen: Wageningen University -
Multisensory contextual cues and information affect plant-based food choices and taste perception
Food Quality and Preference (2025), Volume: 126 - ISSN 0950-3293