Healthier and tastier foods will be researched and designed by Professor Peter Lillford, currently Visiting Professor for the Public Awareness of Science at the University of York in the UK, who has been awarded a Visiting Fellowship with the Food Futures Flagship.
The fellowship program, which has been allocated $97 million over seven years by the Australian Government, enables scientists to join Australian-based researchers to undertake collaborative projects under the auspices of the National Research Flagships program, encouraging innovation and development in Australia’s food industry.
Professor Lillford’s work with the Food Futures Flagship will focus on understanding the structure and properties of foods and how to design foods with specific health benefits.
According to Professor Lillford people are always going to eat what they like, despite the fat content, because food is a pleasurable experience.
The challenge of the research, therefore, is to modify the high-fat foods consumers’ like.
The aim of the research will be to break down food and ingredients into their structural components so that they can be manipulated, maintaining desired flavours and textures, and enhancing nutrient levels.