4. Food & Community

RA4

Food & Community

“Culture" is the identity that you share with other members of your group or community and that evolves from shared social patterns, such as family relationships, dress, meal patterns, religion and many more. Culture is thus acquired from others by spending time with them. In the case of food, one very important aspect of culture is that it helps to learn individuals from past experiences about what foods are healthy and nutritious, and what food sources are to be avoided.

A topic of continued interest is the interface between science and culinary creation – the “science of cooking”, for short. This fascinating interplay between chefs, culinary creatives and scientists has led to the transformation of how we perceive food and has opened up new avenues to think about and create foods that fits with current expectations.

We are currently working on a project to support local food producers in lowering the sugar content of baked goods, such as zucchini bread. This requires a precise water activity control as well as an understanding of how small producers prepare their products and manage their facilities