Doctoral Dissertation Research: Developments in the Food Science of Nutritious Processed Foods

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Prof. Joseph Masco, Ph.D. candidate Ella Butler will undertake an ethnographic study of food scientists, flavor chemists and sensory scientists working on the development of new, nutritious, appealing processed foods. Her focus will be on how scientists work to replicate the properties of taste, flavor and texture of foods if they substitute other ingredients for sugar or salt through, for instance, phantom aromas, chemicals designed to stimulate neural pathways to produce imagined sensations. This project works at the intersection of neurobiology, memory, health, the senses and chemistry. Given the national concern with the ill effects of many processed foods on the health of the American population, this study will be of broad interest. As public commentators, health professionals and political leaders grapple with how to deal with rising levels of obesity and diabetes, the processed food industry has received serious criticism. This anthropological approach will convey the perspectives of the scientists who are working to craft healthier but still tasty products.