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Physiology Guided Food Structure and Process Design
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:16:28
Abstract
A sound understanding of physiological implications of food design will allow to shape new products, which feature health as well as environmental benefits and on the other side do not compromise on organoleptic qualities, formulation and manufacturing, and quality and safety. The course links the physiological driven requirements with food structure design and subsequent engineering steps.
Objective
The objective of this course is to highlight the link between human physiology, product sensory, nutritional functions, and engineering approaches to facilitate the design of food matrixes reflecting the requirements for the beforementioned properties. To identify and manipulate these properties, the pathways that control the interaction of food structures and their physiological action will be introduced. Students are introduced to a skill set that will encompass basic digestion, sensory physiology knowledge, and food structures. Students will be exposed to the interplay along the gastrointestinal tract including taste, aroma, and texture perception, swallowing mechanics, and gastrointestinal digestion with an engineering or physical sciences angle.
Content
Chapter 1: Introduction - The need for physiology guided structure and process design in the context of personalized nutrition (Peter Fischer) Chapter 2: Food Oral Processing: the impact of food oral breakdown on sensory perception (Marine Devezeaux de Lavergne) Chapter 3: Chewing and swallowing across the lifespan, from infants to elderly (Marine Devezeaux de Lavergne) Chapter 4: Perception physiology in humans and other species (Benoit von der Weid) Chapter 5: Biophysics of food digestion & how it can be exploited in the development of strategies for delivery (Timothy J. Wooster) Chapter 6: Numerical and experimental modelling of the intestinal system (Peter Fischer)
Resources
Lecture Notes
Lecture notes are available at Moodle
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DR , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Physiology Guided Food Structure and Process Design
Irregular course. Exact dates and time are listed at Lehrveranstaltungen / courses. The dates are adjusted with the course "Selected Topics in Food Technology" (752-2003-00L).
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|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Doctorate Materials Science (Further information at: )
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