Course
Sensory Perception & Food Preference: The age of pleasure
The aim of this advanced course is to acquire expertise regarding sensory perception and food preferences; to initiate discussions with experts, to obtain knowledge on and experience in different topics and methods related to sensory and liking; to connect with other professionals/colleagues in the field.
Background
Food preferences are a major determinant of food intake, and are largely driven by the sensory properties of food products. The course will focus on the role of sensory characteristics for the development and maintenance of food preferences: we eat what we like. In the current ‘age of pleasure’, our environment is filled with an immense amount of pleasurable, liked products, and everything we do, consume, buy, has to be reviewed in terms of like or dislike (thumbs up, swipe right etc). This course will focus on questions such as ‘what is liking’ (where we will discuss differences in definitions of liking, wanting, reward, pleasure, etc), ‘how do we measure liking’ (where you will learn about proper old and new methodologies) and discuss the usefulness of measuring liking at all. Moreover, we will concentrate on drivers of liking, such as individual characteristics, development of food preferences, and finally move towards (the function of) dislike and liking beyond food experiences.
Target group
The course is at graduate level and aims at food scientists, nutritionists and other sensory- or consumer behavior-related professionals. The course may be valuable for PhD candidates working on eating or consumer behavior, sensory perception or nutrition and food science, and for those in food or sensory (R&D) industry.
Course aim
The aim of this advanced course is to acquire expertise regarding sensory perception and food preferences; to initiate discussions with experts, to obtain knowledge on and experience in different topics and methods related to sensory and liking; to connect with other professionals/colleagues in the field.
Course design
During the week we will move from fundamental science, definitions, and methods towards innovation, individual drivers of liking, dislike and disgust, and move beyond the food context.
The course will be mainly composed of interactive lectures with ample opportunity for discussions, a workshop, as well as a tour through the facilities of Human Nutrition and Health with respect to sensory, consumer and nutrition behavior. Participants will also briefly present their own research plans, and will jointly work on a related assignment throughout the course.
Programme topics
The following topics will be addressed:
- the role of sensory perception and liking in food preferences and consumer behavior
- development of food preferences over the life span
- individual variation and consumer segmentation in sensory science and eating behavior
- (lab vs real-life) context influence on perception, liking and eating decisions
- definitions and innovative methodology for measuring sensory perception, food preferences, and behavior
- industry perspective on the importance of sensory & consumer science
Programme details (preliminary)
Course coordinators
- Dr. Sanne Boesveldt, Wageningen University
- Dr. Victoire de Wild, Wageningen University
Contributions, lectures and workshops from:
Date & duration
The course will be held from 5 - 8 March 2024 (3.5 days).
The study load of this course is 1.1 ECTS credits.
The course language will be English.
Contact information
More information about the contents of the course can be obtained from Dr. Sanne Boesveldt or Dr. Victoire de Wild
For organisational matters please contact Cornelia van Bree
Location & Accommodation
The course takes place on Wageningen Campus.
The town of Wageningen is 5 km from Ede-Wageningen railway station, from which there is a regular bus service to the Wageningen Campus and city centre. The Ede-Wageningen railway station can be reached by train from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in about one hour. For train schedules visit: www.ns.nl.
Hotels:
Other accommodation:
Registration & course fee
Registration will be accepted in the order in which the registration form is received. You will be notified on acceptance of your registration. Additional information will follow afterwards.
The course fee includes coffee/tea during breaks, lunches and one course dinner on Tuesday, but does not cover accommodation and is depending on the participant's affiliation:
| WUR PhD candidates affiliated with one of the Wageningen Graduate Schools* | € 250 |
| Other PhD candidates / postdocs and staff affiliated with VLAG | € 475 |
| Other university staff / non profit organisations | € 675 |
| Industry / for profit organisations | € 1400 |
* VLAG/PE&RC/EPS/WIAS/WASS/WIMEK PhD candidates with an approved TSP
Cancellation policy
After acceptance of your registration, the VLAG Cancellation Conditions for course participants will apply.