Overall Aim: To apply a scientific-based integrated sensory perception-, psychological- and neuro-physiological (PPP) approach in industry-driven innovation of SRR-beverages enabling lower sugar content whilst maintaining acceptable sweetness perception, to better mimic SBBs. Background: Sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a main source of added dietary sugar. High sugar intake is associated with excessive energy intake and life style diseases. In food production there has been emphasis on reducing the sugar content in the beverages using alternative sweeteners. However, many of the sugar-reduced or -replaced (SRR) beverages are not perceived as ‘identical’ to SSBs. Perception and acceptance of sweetness differs between individuals due to sensory psychological factors, brain-rewarding systems and physiological responses. Hence, these factors can be exploited as active tools to model sweetness perception and acceptance of products with reduced sugar content. Approach: -An identification of PPP-factors for maintaining sweetness perception and acceptance, -Application of this knowledge in industrial development of SRR-beverages and - A demonstration of the effectiveness of SSR beverages in terms of physiological responses and an estimate of economic and societal gain across beverage markets. Impact: State of the art understanding of PPP as factors and necessary tools in maintaining sweetness perception and acceptance of SRR-beverages. Through access to multidisciplinary knowledge on human sweetness perception in sense, mind and brain research combined with knowhow from the ingredients and beverage industries, we will develop an approach to apply the knowledge effectively obtaining the right balance between health and consumer acceptance of SRR-beverages ultimately lowering the sugar intake.

Funding: Grand Solution Project: Innovation Fund Denmark

Collaborator:-Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine, Associate professor, Per Bendix Jeppesen.-Oxford University, Department of Experimental Psychology, Professor Charles Spence & Post-Doctoral Researcher Janice Wang -Copenhagen University, Department of Food and Resource Economics, Professor, Jørgen Dejgaard Jensen-DuPont Nutrition and Health, Principal Investigator, Stine Møller -Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Health and Nutrition Science Manager, Morten Georg Jensen and Sensory Manager, Sidsel Jensen.-Rynkeby, Innovation & Product Development Manager, Dr. Anette ThyboDescription

GrOBEat develops an innovative sustainable organic beef production chain where quality replaces quantity -a solution which facilitate healthy eating behaviour and provide high product satisfaction. Calves are raised with dams for 4 mo. before selected to deliver one of three high-quality products: A) Low-fat veal (8 mo); B) Mediumfat beef from intensive pasture (14-16 mo); C) Medium-fat beef from extensive pasture (24-26 mo). The product is documented according to efficiency, animal welfare, biodiversity, quality and sensory profile of the meat, eating behavior and the overall impact on the climate.
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The PhD project works arppund the overall question of: How can the understanding of the social production of taste help design ways to encourage sustainable food consumption?
The central research idea is that green taste (an attitude toward sustainable food practices) can collectively be shaped at the local level through the involvement of individuals in experiences that expose them to sustainable food practices. Building on the socio-anthropological understanding of socializing, as gradually learning through the sharing of practices, and inspired by socio-anthropological theories on the social production of taste, this project looks at shared experiences of sustainable food practices as a fruitful ground, where individual agency connects to the collective norms of conduct, giving space for the reconstruction of individual food attitudes, the transmission of collective-oriented values, and the acquisition of a preference for sustainable food consumption (green taste).
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InformPack explores the cross-cultural variations that exist amongst consumers in terms of awareness, information gaps, issues and attitudes towards food packaging as related to product choice upon purchase and disposal patterns at home and on the go. Findings are used to create actions, tools, and strategies that will influence public behaviour and bring forward solutions to enable transition to a more sustainable European food-packaging ecosystem.
These include: (i) building country-based, tailored consumer-centric engagement activities and incentive strategies based on facts and science provided by packaging experts, and (ii) using co-creation as a vehicle to generate insights that can be leveraged for targeted innovative actions in the area of food packaging, reflecting issues, public demands, and industry needs in each country.
Having explored Greece (GR) and the United Kingdom (UK) during the PoC period of 2021, in 2022, the project will target Spain (ES) and Poland (PL).
InformPack is one of the two successful Proof-of-Concept (PoC) public engagement projects (read more about PoC here) that received full funding from EIT FOOD to run in the period of 2022-2024.
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