Ohio State nav bar

Columbus Science Pub: The Science of Taste

Columbus Science Pub Logo
February 6, 2020
7:30PM - 8:30PM
UpFront at Shadowbox Live, 503 S Front St

Date Range
Add to Calendar 2020-02-06 19:30:00 2020-02-06 20:30:00 Columbus Science Pub: The Science of Taste The taste of food is a fundamental part of our lives from the first sip of coffee to what kind of beer you enjoy. Flavor is so much more then just taste. Flavor is a multi-sensory experience that includes taste, texture and timing. Ever been disappointed by a less then crisp cracker? You may say it does not taste as “fresh”. Or ever pick up what you thought was your iced coffee and it is orange juice instead? Instant yuck – even though you love orange juice. Our perceptions of how a food should taste, the mouth feel of a food and its actual chemical properties all play a role in how our brain thinks about flavor. Dr. Devin Peterson studies Flavor Chemistry to better understand how taste and aroma effect flavor.Devin joined the faculty at The Ohio State University as part of the Discovery Themes Initiative in 2016 from the University of Minnesota. His research characterizes the chemicals in our food that stimulate our sense of taste and smell leading to flavor. His lab looks at how multiple flavors can interact to change our perception. They can map pathways of flavor generation, understand how stabile a flavor, and mechanisms of flavor delivery. The goal of Devin’s research is to support the development of sustainable, nutritious, and healthy foods with higher product acceptability. To this end he directs the Flavor Research and Education Center (http://frec.osu.edu/), a partnership between academic researchers and industry leaders focused on the creation, exchange, and application of knowledge to drive innovation in the food marketspace. UpFront at Shadowbox Live, 503 S Front St The STEAM Factory at The Ohio State University steamfactory@osu.edu America/New_York public

The taste of food is a fundamental part of our lives from the first sip of coffee to what kind of beer you enjoy. Flavor is so much more then just taste. Flavor is a multi-sensory experience that includes taste, texture and timing. Ever been disappointed by a less then crisp cracker? You may say it does not taste as “fresh”. Or ever pick up what you thought was your iced coffee and it is orange juice instead? Instant yuck – even though you love orange juice. Our perceptions of how a food should taste, the mouth feel of a food and its actual chemical properties all play a role in how our brain thinks about flavor. Dr. Devin Peterson studies Flavor Chemistry to better understand how taste and aroma effect flavor.

Devin joined the faculty at The Ohio State University as part of the Discovery Themes Initiative in 2016 from the University of Minnesota. His research characterizes the chemicals in our food that stimulate our sense of taste and smell leading to flavor. His lab looks at how multiple flavors can interact to change our perception. They can map pathways of flavor generation, understand how stabile a flavor, and mechanisms of flavor delivery. The goal of Devin’s research is to support the development of sustainable, nutritious, and healthy foods with higher product acceptability. To this end he directs the Flavor Research and Education Center (http://frec.osu.edu/), a partnership between academic researchers and industry leaders focused on the creation, exchange, and application of knowledge to drive innovation in the food marketspace.