Gastronomy Webinar | Matter, Senses and Mind: How Food Technology, Perception and Cognition Shape the Culinary Experience
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3rd Gastronomy Webinar
Matter, Senses and Mind: How Food Technology, Perception and Cognition Shape the Culinary Experience
Every culinary experience is built on a dialogue between the food, the senses, and the mind. What we perceive when we eat depends on the material properties of food, which result from raw materials, traditional know-how and processing; on the way each of us perceives and emotionally responds to those properties; and on the expectations, habits and decisions that precede, accompany and follow eating.
This webinar follows that sequence, from matter to senses to mind, through three complementary perspectives: food technology, sensory and consumer science, and cognitive and behavioural psychology. A common thread runs through the three talks: the reformulated food, such as a ham with less salt and sodium nitrite or a plant-based alternative to a meat product. The first talk shows how processing and reformulation change the sensory, nutritional and safety profile of meat products, and why technological success is not enough unless consumers accept the result. The second examines how individuals differ in perceiving and emotionally responding to the sensory properties of food, and what this means for the acceptance of novel and sustainable products. The third explores the cognitive and decision-making processes that turn perception into choice, and how choice architecture and behavioural interventions in real eating contexts can support healthier and more sustainable diets. A concluding discussion, moderated by the Chair, will bring the three perspectives together and consider what they mean for gastronomy as a scientific field and for the design of foods and eating experiences that are more meaningful, healthier and more sustainable.
The webinar is intended for researchers, PhD students, chefs, food designers, food technologists and professionals in the food sector.
Date: 15 December 2026
Time: 4:00pm CET | 10:00am EST
Webinar ID: 860 8133 1540
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet Our Chair
Ethnobotany and Ethnobiology, University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, Pollenzo, I-12042 Cuneo, Italy;
Meet Our Speakers
Department of Animal Food Technology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland;Professor of food technology and President of the Polish Society of Food Technologists. Meat science and technology: dry-cured and fermented meat products, probiotic meat products, biogenic amines and bioactive peptides in food, reformulation of meat products (reduced sodium nitrite, additive- and allergen-free formulations) and the quality of plant-based meat alternatives compared with conventional meat products.
Sensory, Behaviour and Cognition Lab, University of Gastronomic Sciences, Pollenzo, Italy;Full Professor of Food Science and Technology, Prorector, Head of Research, Director of the Sensory Behavior and Cognition Lab. Sensory and consumer science: individual differences in sensory perception, affective responses to the sensory properties of food, consumer acceptance of novel and sustainable foods.
Sensory, Behaviour and Cognition Lab, University of Gastronomic Sciences, Pollenzo, Italy;Cognitive scientist and research fellow. Applied food psychology and the cognitive and decision-making processes underlying food choice; choice architecture, nudging and behavioural interventions promoting healthier and more sustainable diets in real eating contexts.
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can't attend? Register anyway and we'll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
| Presentation/Speaker | Time in CET | Time in EST |
| Prof. Dr. Andrea Pieroni (Chair) Welcome and introduction |
4:00 - 4:05 pm | 10:00 - 10:05 am |
| Prof. Dr. Joanna Stadnik (Speaker 1) From Curing to Clean Label: How Processing and Reformulation Shape What We Taste and What We Expect from Meat Products |
4:05 - 4:25 pm | 10:05 - 10:25 am |
| Prof. Dr Luisa Torri (Speaker 2) Same Food, Different Perceptions: Individual Differences, Emotions and the Acceptance of Novel and Sustainable Foods |
4:25 - 4:45 pm | 10:25 - 10:45 am |
| Dr. Riccardo Migliavada (Speaker 3) Deciding What to Eat: Cognitive Processes, Choice Architecture and Behavioural Interventions in Real Eating Contexts |
4:45 - 5:05 pm | 10:45 - 11:05 am |
| Roundtable and Q&A |
5:05 - 5:30 pm | 11:05 - 11:30 am |
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