Project title: A reverse engineering approach to sucrose replacement in biscuits: modelling texture
Project No: FBS2023-51-Rodriguez Garcia-rq
Lead supervisor: Julia Rodriguez Garcia, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading
Email: j.rodriguezgarcia@reading.ac.uk
Co-supervisors:
Gareth Tribello, Queen’s University Belfast, Mauricio Cafiero, University of Reading, Stella Lignou, University of Reading
Apply through the FoodBioSystems DTP website before the 30th of January 2023.
The global rise in chronic non–communicable diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and coronary disease has been linked to high intake of sugar and excessive energy consumption. The main dietary source of added sugars in UK are soft drinks, bakery and confectionary products. In particular, biscuits, with around 30–40% sugar content, are a highly popular and versatile products, commonly consumed by all groups of society, particularly children. Owning to concern over increasing childhood obesity rates and with the aim to facilitate a healthier lifestyle for adults and children a new UK Government policy has come partially into force in October 2022. This policy restricts the location and in–store promotion of high fat, sugar, and salt products. This has driven further efforts from the food industry into reducing sugars in bakery and confectionary products. However, the reduction or replacement of sucrose with healthier alternatives in bakery products such as biscuits has proved to be challenging because of the multifunctional role of sucrose in these products – sucrose is not only there to provide sweetness.
Therefore, the development of understanding and tools that could facilitate reformulation projects in terms of time, resources and successful outcomes are needed for a sustainable and innovative food industry.