‘A Perfect Meal, The Multisensory Science of Food and Eating’ The Inaugural Workshop linked to the appointment of AU-FOOD Affiliated Professor Charles Spence took place at AU-FOOD Aarslev on the 22 January 2015 with great success.

Some 50 persons attended the meeting, which was extremely well organized and promoted by Camilla Fjord Madsen and Tina Lillelund Magaard.

This workshop was ground breaking in that it took a unique cross disciplinary view on the multisensory nature of food and eating, including human sensory perception, and consumer/marketing perspectives and their synergy with the experimental psychologists view.

Bringing the Sensory Science Perspective was Derek V. Byrne  – Professor and science team leader, Food Metabolomics and Sensory Science, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, with a presentation entitled: TheMind and Mouth in multisensory food perception – Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.

Professor Klaus Grunert – Head of MAPP center, Department of Business Administration, Aarhus University took on the challenge of presenting the Consumer /marketing perspective via a talk entitled - The proof of the pudding is not only in the eating: Changes in the perception of food quality.

Professor Spences Inaugural lecture itself on the psychological perspective: was entitled Gastrophysics: The New Science of the Table: A Sensory Experimental Psychologists view.

In this presentation Charles addressed questions around, what is the perfect meal? And intimated that we can probably all think of at least one especially memorable dinner that we have had. For some, it might be something as simple as a picnic in a summer meadow or else fish and chips by the seaside (while listening, of course, to the sounds of the sea). For others, it will be that once in a lifetime trip to one of the world’s top Michelin-starred restaurants. Wherever it was, what made it so special wasn’t just the food. Of course, the food is central: It is, after all, one of the most multisensory of experiences, one where if even a single sensory element is wrong, something is served cold that was supposed to be hot, then the whole experience will likely be ruined. In his talk Charles argued that what makes for a great eating experience depends also very much on ‘the everything else’ that surrounds the meal than many of us realize: It depends on everything from the mood we are in through to the company we keep, and from the environment in which we eat and drink through to the plating, plateware, and cutlery. Professor Spence also reviewed the emerging body of gastrophysics research that is now helping to isolate just how important these various factors are to our perception and enjoyment of food.

Michelle Williams – Head of Department AU-FOOD opened proceedings and gave a warm welcome to Professor Spence and highlighted the potential synergies and expansion of our horizons that are possible with affiliated scientists at AU-FOOD.

Charles Spence is Professor and Head of Cross Modal Lab University of Oxford, United Kingdom, in his day job, and as part of his affiliation will in two key respects work with AU-FOOD on, cross disciplinary research applications and participate in student supervision and exchange between Oxford and Aarhus University. 

The following links are recordings of the 3 presentations that made up the workshop, these have been very kindly put together by Connie Krogh Damgaard.

 
From the left: Professor Klaus Grunert, Professor and Science Team Leader Derek V. Byrne, Head of Department Michelle Williams and Honorary Professor Charles Spence.

For further information please contact: Professor Derek V. Byrne, Research Group Leader, Department of Food Science, email: derekv.byrne@food.au.dk, Telephone: (+45) 8715 8394, mobile phone: (+45) 2878 2840.