Food area · In this project, focus will be on the effect of enhancement and suppression (masking)...

Master Thesis Projects

Topics for master thesis projects available in 2013-2014 The Master’s degree programme in Department of Food Science

Food area

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Table of content

1. Investigation of the content and distribution of bioactive polyacetylenes of the

falcarinol-type in vegetables

2. Influence of sensory interactions and increased perceived complexity on sensory perception in new product development

3. Effect of processing conditions on the texture of cocoa butter alternatives

4. Moisture management in bars

5. Controlling milk composition by feeding

6. Vitamins in milk 7. Shear force of meat – contribution from the myofibrils and the connective tissue

8. Meat quality of beef produced on natural grassland

9. Improvement in quality of bread made with cassava and wheat

10. Improvement in quality of organic wheat bread

11. Sensory interactions 12. Sensory and chemical interactions in a celeriac dish

13. Measuring the quality of baked goods - a multi-levelled approach

14. Effect of various dosages of bread improving ingredients on dough and dough-to-

bread in various flour constituents

15. Cross modal interactions perceived through human sense systems –the effect of

colour 16. Quality of lactose-reduced UHT milk (lactolight)

17. Proteomics and peptidomics of protein-based foods

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1. Investigation of the content and distribution of

bioactive polyacetylenes of the falcarinol-type in

vegetables Main supervisor

Senior scientist Erik Larsen Department of Food Science Aarhus Faculty of Science and Technology

Aarhus University E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 87158384 Homepage: http://food.au.dk/

Physical location of the project AU Årslev

Project start Anytime

Extent and type of project

9-12 months master thesis study Main subject area

Bioactive compounds in vegetables

Additional information Contact supervisor

Short project description Polyacetylenes of the falcarinol-type are very interesting bioactive compounds in

vegetables belonging to the Umbelliferae family such as carrots, celery, celery and parsley, etc. These polyacetylenes have shown immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory effects as well as a preventive effect against the development of

cardiovascular disease and especially cancer. These substances are therefore considered as important for being able to explain some of the health beneficial effects of vegetables

from the Umbelliferae family. There is only made very few studies on the distribution of polyacetylenes of the falcarinol-type of vegetables and it is therefore important to have determined the content and variation of these compounds in vegetables in order to

determine the daily intake of them. Finally, it will be very interesting if some of the vegetables contain new polyacetylenes with yet unclear biological activity. We can

therefore offer a thesis in which a variety of vegetables from the Umbelliferae family are investigated for the content of bioactive polyacetylenes and possibly isolation and

identification of new polyacetylenes. Polyacetylenes are quantified in plant extracts using analytical HPLC, isolated by column chromatography and preparative HPLC, and identified by 1D-and 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry.

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2. Influence of sensory interactions and increased

perceived complexity on sensory perception in new

product development

Main supervisor Science team leader Anette K. Thybo

Department of Food Science Aarhus Faculty of Science and Technology

Aarhus University E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 87158394

Homepage: http://food.au.dk/


Project start Open


45 or 60 ECTS master thesis project Main subject area

Sensory analysis in product development of foods

Additional information Post Doc Heidi Kildegaard, phone: 87154867, [email protected]

Short project description The modern Western diet contains of many foods with a relatively high energy density

(fat and sugar) and low fiber content. These foods are believed to be major contributors to the increasing obesity prevalence and therefore it is important to change the diet in a more healthy direction. However, the replacement of the energy-dense nutrients from

these foods by nutrients with less energy dense alternatives may not be the optimal way of reducing the prevalence of obesity. It seems that it is important to maintain the

nutrient quality and instead utilize the sensory aspects that ensure food satiety and satisfaction.

In this project, focus will be on the effect of enhancement and suppression (masking) of sensory attributes or food components on peoples liking and intake to develop more

healthy food products. Especially, changes of texture and flavours in food products are of interest. Besides, the interactions of the sensory attributes and food components in the product will be investigated and correlated to the consumer’s perception of the foods.

Methods

Sensory evaluations carried out by a trained sensory panel Flavour-flavour learning, flavour-nutrient learning and effect of texture flavour

interactions

mailto:[email protected]

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Conduction of consumer studies (exposure study)

The data will be analyzed using multivariate data analysis

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3. Effect of Processing Conditions on the Texture of

Cocoa Butter Alternatives Main supervisor Associate professor Lars Wiking

Department of Food Science Faculty of Science and Technology



Physical location of the project AU-Foulum and AarhusKarlshamn in Aarhus

Project start Open for whole 2013


Master thesis of 45 or 60 ECTS Main subject area

Food Technology

Additional information Co-supervisor: Sandra B. Gregersen, PhD-student The project is in cooperation with AarhusKarlshamn A/S

Short project description

Vegetable oils are applied in chocolate and confectionery manufacturing to reduce raw material costs and processing time. As the oil crystallizes it forms a three dimensional network that is of great importance for the final texture and mouthfeel of the products.

The structure of the fat crystal network will depend on processing, which involves cooling, heating and agitation. It is important that cocoa butter alternatives has an

optimized melting profile and contribute to a desirable texture and taste release. The hypothesis is that the texture and storage stability of cocoa butter alternatives can be improved through correctly controlled dynamic processes. The industry, however, lacks

knowledge of how different processing factors affect the final structure and functionality of their products.

Methods: Rheological measurements will be conducted with rheometers and texture analyzers. The

microstructure can be analyzed by various microscope techniques.

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4. Moisture management in bars Main supervisor Associate professor Marianne Hammershøj


Aarhus University E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +45 87157974


Physical location of the project DuPont - Brabrand

Project start September 2013

Extent and type of project MSc

Main subject area

Protein – Hydrocolloid interactions Additional information

Work with commercial high protein bars within DuPont’s Confectionery Group


High protein confectionery bars can suffer from moisture re-distribution within

their shelf life due to the protein actively absorbing the water in the bar as the shelf-life progresses. This causes undesirable textural changes leading to the

perception that the bar is drier. Controlling this moisture re-distribution is therefore of considerable importance to the industry.

The aim of the project is to investigate effective moisture management within the bar by possible addition of hydrocolloids. It is envisaged they could minimise this

moisture transfer to the protein by setting up a competitive situation where the protein and the hydrocolloid may compete for the water. Initial candidates to be

included in the screening process will include guar and LBG.

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5. Controlling milk composition by feeding Main supervisor Associate professor Mette Krogh Larsen



Homepage: http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/mette-krogh-larsen(5ce6d5da-bd09-4304-a9d9-495e00e51fdd).html

Physical location of the project AU Foulum

Project start

Any time

Extent and type of project 60 ECTS

Main subject area Milk composition and quality

Additional information The project will be carried out in close cooperation with ongoing projects at the

department


The technological and nutritional quality of milk is affected by feed composition and especially fatty acid composition and milk content of antioxidants are

affected. Feeding high amounts of grass products increases the milk content of

polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as the content of tocopherols and carotenoids. Milk with higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids is more liable to oxidation;

however, a higher content of antioxidants may delay this oxidation.

The purpose of the project is to collect milk from a range of cows where feeding details are known. Cows from the Science and Technology Faculty herd in Foulum

or cows from the Danish Cattle Research Centre in Foulum may be used for the project, but milk from private farms may also be included as appropriate.

This milk should be analysed for fatty acid composition as well as content of

antioxidants. Transfer of other compounds from feed to milk may be studied as well. The oxidative stability of some milk types could be analysed and especially

the relation between tocopherol content and oxidation may be studied as tocopherol may act as an antioxidant in early oxidation and a prooxidant in

severe oxidation. Other aspects may be studied depending on the ongoing

projects.


http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/mette-krogh-larsen(5ce6d5da-bd09-4304-a9d9-495e00e51fdd).html


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6. Vitamins in milk

Main supervisor Associate professor Mette Krogh Larsen Department of Food Science

Aarhus Faculty of Science and Technology Aarhus University

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 87158062 Homepage: http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/mette-krogh-larsen(5ce6d5da-bd09-

4304-a9d9-495e00e51fdd).html


Project start Any time

Extent and type of project 45 or 60 ECTS

Main subject area

Vitamins in milk

Additional information Other aspects may be studied depending on ongoing projects

Short project description Milk and dairy products are important sources of vitamin B2 and vitamin B12 in human

nutrition. However, little is known about the variation in the content of these nutrients in milk and dairy products, and the purpose of the project is to investigate the variation depending on factors like feed, breed and genetic variation within breeds.

In the project, methods of analysis of the desired vitamins will be developed and

validated. Variation in the natural vitamin content will be studied based on a range of samples which have been collected in other projects. Besides, additional milk sampling may be carried out to clarify which factors are most important for the variation in vitamin

content.




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7. Shear force of meat – contribution from the

myofibrils and the connective tissue Main supervisor Associate professor Margrethe Therkildsen





Project start Open



Structure and Functionality

Short project description Aim: To interpret the force deformation curve following shearing a piece of heated meat in relation to the contribution from myofibrils and connective tissue using samples from

beef and pork conditioned various times and treated with and without high pressure.

Background: Tenderness of meat is one of the most important eating quality traits for the consumer, and lots of studies are performed in order to obtain increased knowledge of this trait and to improve the tenderness of meat from several species. Instrumentally

tenderness has been measured as shear force, determining the force needed to shear a heat-treated piece of meat, which has a correlation with a sensory determination of

tenderness between 0.5 -0.8 depending of muscle, preparation etc. Thus shear force is a relatively good predictor of tenderness, and a much cheaper method, which allows the method used as screening and in studies with many samples.

The force needed to cut a piece of meat can be linked to the myofibrils and the connective tissue. Traditionally ageing has been said to affect the contribution from the

myofibrils, because of proteolytic break down of structural proteins, whereas the contribution from the connective tissue was unaffected by ageing. However lately we have generated shear force results which suggests that both the myofibrils and the

connective tissue changes upon ageing, and further that the pattern is different between beef and pork. An understanding of these relationships will allow us to optimise

tenderness of meat further through manipulation with production, slaughter procedure, ageing and cooking method.

Method: Meat from beef and pork will be used to study the texture profile when exposed to various ageing times, cooking methods (eg. high pressure), temperature,

http://food.au.dk/

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supplemented with other analytical methods to elucidate the contributions to the force

deformation curve.

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8. Meat quality of beef produced on natural grassland Main supervisor Associate professor Margrethe Therkildsen



Homepage: www.food.au.dk

Physical location of the project Department of Food Science, AU, Foulum

Project start

Open

Extent and type of project 45 or 60 ECTS master thesis project

Main subject area

Raw meat quality

Additional information

The project will be part of a large project “Smag på landskabet” (taste the environment), which aims at developing a concept for nature conservation through grazing with cattle. The concept involves the full chain trough grazing systems, animal production, meat

quality and branding and marketing of meat products. The project runs from 1. January 2013 to 31. December 2014.


Development of a concept for nature conservation through grazing with cattle will only succeed if the meat can be differentiated from traditional beef. Thus the aim of the

present project is to describe the meat quality of beef produced on extensive grasslands, meadows, heats etc. in order to pinpoint quality differentiations from traditional beef,

which can be used in marketing of the concept. Very little is known about the effect of specific Danish biotopes on meat quality traits like colour, structure, fatty acid profile and taste and further on variations in response between breeds, ages, sex and length of

access to grassland. These factors will be studied in the present experiment.

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9. Improvement in quality of bread made with cassava

and wheat Main supervisor Science team leader Anette K. Thybo




Place Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University,

Physical location of the project AU, Aarslev

Project start

As soon as possible Extent and type of project

45 or 60 ECTS master thesis project

Main subject area Enzyme technology, baking quality and sensory analysis

Additional information Co-supervisor Post doc Sidsel Jensen, phone 87158292, [email protected]

Short project description Wheat is expected to be in short supply on a worldwide basis in the near future and

consequently wheat prices are expected to rise significantly. In developing countries, cassava is a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to wheat flour in bread baking.

The challenge linked to the substitution of wheat with cassava is that cassava flour is gluten free. Gluten is important in the development of crumb structure and gas retention. Substitution of wheat flour with cassava flour is not a straight forward task. Enzyme

technology has proved to be a promising tool to increase the baking quality in bread made with cassava flour.

Purpose

To study the effect of different enzymes or mixes of enzymes on bread quality in

bread made with cassava.

Methods

Sensory evaluation, Texture Profile Analysis, Falling number, Glutomatic Gluten Index System, Farinograph and Amylograph


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10. Improvement in quality of organic wheat bread Main supervisor Associate professor Ulla Kidmose,





Project start Open



Baking quality and sensory analysis


Co-supervisor Post doc Sidsel Jensen, 87158292, [email protected]

Short project description Organic wheat flour typically has a lower nutrient supply during growing which results in

a reduced baking quality compared to conventional wheat flour. However, using different sources of nutrient supply and different wheat varieties might lead to significant differences in the baking quality of organic bread.

Purpose

To study the effect of different organic nutrient sources and varieties on baking quality of organic wheat bread

Methods Measurements of dough parameters by falling number, glutomatic Gluten Index

System, farinograph, and amylograph Analysis of bread quality by texture profile analysis Sensory evaluation carried out by a trained sensory panel

http://food.au.dk/

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11. Sensory interactions Main supervisor Associate professor Ulla Kidmose,





Project start As soon as possible



Sensory analysis

Additional information Post doc Sidsel Jensen, phone 87158292, [email protected]


The taste and flavour of food are determined by the composition of the product but also the interaction between components. To understand and improve the taste of food it is

important to gain knowledge of the fundamentals of such taste and flavour interactions. Purpose

To study the interaction between sweetness, bitterness and sourness as perceived by human senses.

Methods

Sensory evaluation carried out by a trained sensory panel

Application of different taste compounds in food systems Data will be analysed by using multivariate data analysis

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12. Sensory and chemical interactions in a celeriac

dish

Main supervisor Associate professor Ulla Kidmose Department of Food Science

Aarhus Faculty of Science and Technology Aarhus University

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 87158293 Homepage: http://food.au.dk/


Project start September 2013



Sensory science and food


Co-supervisor Post doc Sidsel Jensen, 87158292, [email protected]

Short project description It is known that individual ingredients put together in a dish affect the flavour and taste

of one another. Based on former work, where a celeriac dish were developed based on food pairing principles, this master project will investigate the effect of the specific ingredients in the dish on the sensory quality of celeriac and the liking of the dish

Purpose

Study the sensory interaction effect of different ingredients in a celeriac dish Methods

Sensory evaluation carried out by a trained sensory panel Sensory tests carried out with a consumer panel

Data will be analysed using multivariate data analysis

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13. Measuring the quality of baked goods - a multi-

levelled approach Main supervisor Science team leader Anette K. Thybo




Co-supervisor Post doc Sidsel Jensen

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 87158292

Physical location of the project University of Aarhus, Aarslev and/or Novozymes A/S, Bagsværd.

Project start As soon as possible.


Master project. Main subject area

Baking science, sensory science, textural science and spectrometry.

Additional information The project will be part of Novozymes’ on-going activities in understanding baked products and influence of different parameters on the quality of such products. The

project will include support from Novozymes’ in-house test bakery as well as scientific and technical staff at Novozymes.

Short project description Innovative solutions for baked goods require detailed understanding of how raw

materials, procedures, additives etc. influences the quality of these products. The quality of baked goods is complex and the evaluation of bread quality is far from trivial.

Evaluation of baked products includes sensory science, textural measurements, chemical measurements and spectral measurements.

The project aims at understanding certain parameters employed in baking and how their impact on product quality can be evaluated and measured. Based on these learnings it is

possible to refine the production of baked products.

http://food.au.dk/

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14. Effect of various dosages of bread improving

ingredients on dough and dough-to-bread in

various flour constituents Main supervisor Associate professor Ulla Kidmose




Co-supervisor Post doc Sidsel Jensen E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 87158292

Physical location of the project Dupont, Aarhus

Project start As soon as possible.


Master project. Main subject area

Baking quality, measurement of dough and bread quality, addition of ingredients

Additional information The masterproject will involve existing methods for evaluation of dough and bread quality at Dupont and can include interesting aspects from on-going activities in the

backing application at Dupont. It will focus on improvement of dough, bread quality and the nutritional quality of bread by using different ingredients.

Short project description At Dupont it is focus on improvement of baking quality as well as the nutritional and

sensory quality of bred by the use of different ingredients. However, it might be a challenge to enhance the nutritional quality of bread without reducing the baking quality.

In this master project different aspects of improving the nutritional quality or sensory quality of bread will be included using different ingredients measured by proper sensory methods or instrumental methods.

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15. Cross modal interactions perceived through human

sense systems –the effect of colour Main supervisor Associate professor Ulla Kidmose,





Project start Open



Sensory and consumer analysis

Additional information Co-supervisor Line Holler Mielby,87154868, [email protected]

Short project description Aroma, taste, texture and colour are key factors that determine how we accept the foods

we consume. Though, their relative contribution to overall perception is difficult to show. Further, the perceptions we have through our senses (taste, smell, vision, hearing and touch) often don’t work independently of each other. This master thesis will primarily

focus on the effect of visual cues on the overall perception of foods.

The proposed master thesis project consists of two parts:

1) The student will study and work with how to measure cross modal interactions

between different modalities (in particular colour).

2) Further, the student will study and elucidate the effect that different colours and aromas have on the perception of bitterness in bitter model solutions and in a real product (tonic water).

What is crossmodal perception? How information from the

different sensory modalities such as sight, sound, touch, smell, and

taste, may be integrated by the nervous system and perceived by

us. Of importance in this thesis is how

different sensory modalities interact with one another and alter each

other’s processing. For instance how the addition of a tasteless color can alter the sweetness perception

of a drink even though the sweetness level of the drink is not

changed.

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16. Quality of lactose-reduced UHT milk (lactolight)

Main supervisor Associate professor Lotte Bach Larsen Department of Food Science

Faculty of Science and Technology Aarhus University

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +45 87158049 Homepage: http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/id(204d7240-6828-4ee0-8ef5-

77a4a2ac92d4).html


Project start Aug. 2013 or according to agreement

Extent and type of project 45 or 60 ECTS master project.

Main subject area

Quality of lactose-reduced UHT milk, mainly in relation to protein quality and changes during storage. Modifications of milk proteins by glycations and unwanted proteolysis. Methods will include protein composition using proteomic techniques (2D gels, LC-MS

etc), detection of protein glycations by mass spectrometry-based techniques, assessment of proteolysis by Tris-Tricene gels, determinations of N-terminals by fluorescamine assay

during storage and eventually peptide profiling using peptidomics techniques. Additional information

The project will be carried out in collaboration with AU-Aarslev; PhD student Therese Jansson and project leader of the Lactolight project, senior scientist Hanne C. Bertram.


The market share of lactose-reduced dairy products has been increasing during the last years and is expected to continue to increase, and potentially also involve increased export to Asia. Therefore storage and maintenance of a good quality during transport and

storage is a key issue for the dairy industry. Key steps during production of lactose-reduced drinking milk is the heat treatment and addition of lactase enzyme, that cleaves

the milk lactose into glucose and galactose. The proposed project is part of a larger project collaboration with Arla Foods, and involves a.o. a PhD project, and the proposed master project will be carried out in collaboration with these other parts of the project.

The master project here centers around characterisation of composition of the protein matrix in lactose-reduced drinking milk prepared by different processing conditions

(different pasteurisations and time for addition of lactase enzyme). An important part is the characterisation of eventual changes in the protein matrix during storage, including glycation of caseins and/or whey proteins by glucose and galactose and assessment of

eventual protein degradation by proteolysis.

http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/id(204d7240-6828-4ee0-8ef5-77a4a2ac92d4).html


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17. Proteomics and peptidomics of protein-based foods Main supervisor Associate professor Lotte Bach Larsen

Department of Food Science Faculty of Science and Technology

Aarhus University E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +45 87158049

Homepage: http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/id(204d7240-6828-4ee0-8ef5-77a4a2ac92d4).html


Project start

Aug. 2013 or according to agreement

Extent and type of project 45 or 60 ECTS master project.

Main subject area Application of proteomics and/or peptidomics based methods for the characterisation of

protein and/or peptide profiles, respectively, in raw or processed foods by combinations of protein chemistry-based techniques.

Additional information Eventual involvement of co-supervisors according to the detailed subject. Eventual

collaboration with AU-Aarslev at Funen. Eventual collaborations with post. docs., PhDs and other master or bachelor students at the department.

Short project description Currently, I supervise master and PhD projects in the areas of bioactive peptides,

digestability of food proteins, milk oligosaccharides, fractionation and functional properties of proteins from potato and in quality aspects of different dairy products. This includes quality of whey based UHT products, of lactose-reduced UHT milk and overall

characterisation of protein composition of different fractions or dairy products prepared from bovine milk. Furthermore, we look at milk quality, protein composition, proteolysis

and technological properties in relation to cow genetics, genetic variants of milk proteins, somatic cell count and at prolonged lactation. It will be possible to discuss master project ideas broadly in relation to these areas and eventually formulate a specific project within

these themes and techniques.



Food area · In this project, focus will be on the effect of enhancement and suppression (masking)...

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