Department of Food Science has at our disposal modern analytical equipment and in more cases unique research and cultivation facilities which make it possible to carry out research throughout the whole food system; from field to fork, including the health-related and sensory properties of the food.
We also have a major focus on sustainability along the food system e.g. losses during production, utilization of side streams during processing, new packaging solutions and reducing food waste at the consumers.
The scientists and technical staff of the department are highly specialised within a number of analytical and cultivation methods which makes us a valuable collaborator in both national and international scientific partnerships.
AU Auning is our field research site for production of fruit, berries, vegetables and legumes in the Department of Food Science. The research site has ca 37 hectares of research fields, including an organic area for cultivation of fruits and vegetables in designed field experiments. On site are skilled technical staff and specialized field based machinery to cultivate a range of crops, for example the main Danish commodities of onion, root vegetables, cabbages, leafy vegetables and legume pulses; pip and stone fruits, black currants and strawberries; in addition to new crops. We have field analytical equipment, such as minirhizotrons for root studies and facilities for grading, quality determinations, drying and cool storage of the horticultural crops.
Hanne Lakkenborg Kristensen (Science Team Leader for Plant, Food & Sustainability)
The department scientists at AU Agro Food Park carry out research across a range of food products, but have leading expertise in milk, eggs, meat, fruit and vegetables, their composition and quality and the effect of different production, processing and storage parameters. Agro Food Park is also the home for controlled climate and glasshouse based plant production research. Agro Food Park also hold the specialized facilities and research activities linked to sensory science, and metabolomics.
To support the chemistry and technology-based research, the department has a large range of mass spectrometry and chromatography instruments, together with laboratories for analyzing structure and functionality of foods and packaging materials. The department also has a food and ingredient pilot processing plant including a range of emerging technologies.
The department also has a state-of-the-art 2,500 m2 glasshouse (12 compartments), 6 walk in climate chambers, multilayer cultivation rooms with LED lights, storage and postharvest facilities and many specialized laboratories to support plant based analysis.
The department has low-field and high-field NMR (600 MHz), and a transcriptomic-platform (Affymetrix) to underpin the metabolomic research analysis of biofluids and food samples.
Furthermore, the department has an advanced preparative kitchen, interactive discussion room and 14 booth sensory facility to support product design, product development and multisensory analysis of foods.
Lars Wiking (Science Team Leader, Food Chemisty)
Jette F. Young (Science Team Leader, Differentiated & Biofuncitonal Food)
Derek V. Byrne (Science Team Leader, Food Quality, Perception & Society)
Marianne Hammershøj (Science Team Leader, Food Technology)
