FPEN 203: Rheological and Sensory Properties of Food

Objectives: To study the rheological behaviour of foods and fluids and to develop methods for measuring and modelling rheological behaviour. To equip students with the requisite skills to conduct sensory evaluation of food.

Description: The course introduces students to the rheology of foods including modelling the rheological behaviour of fluids and methods for measuring flow behaviour.  Discussions cover different types of fluids: Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows: Plastic fluids, Bingham and non-Bingham plastic fluids as well as the concept of time dependency. The course also discusses deformation of material and viscoelastic behaviour. Key concepts such as stress relaxation tests, and the use of mechanical models are explored. An important component of the course is sensory measurements and evaluation of food. Students are taught to understand sensory perception and sensory evaluation methods - discriminatory, descriptive, acceptance/preference.