Opportunities are available to study for the research degree of MSc, Mphil and PhD, either full-time or part-time, in the following areas of research:

Food Quality, Safety and New Product Development

This research group studies the development of fermented and non-fermented foods based on cereal and plant products using batch and extrusion cooking. The chemical, physical and nutritional changes occurring during manufacture of the products are being investigated together with their safety and functionality to meet consumer needs. New product development is taking place in the manufacture of a range of foods with particular emphasis on healthy extruded snack foods.

Other areas of research include quality systems in the food chain, the development and properties of bakery products including gluten and wheat-free breads, cakes and savouries.

Nutrition

Research is being carried out on food consumption patterns and nutritional status of different population groups including children in Kenya, Sudan and Korea. Salt consumption patterns in population groups in the UK are also under investigation. New areas of interest with local hospital collaboration are the evaluation of food serving systems and the use of dietary supplements for hospital patients.

Current Research Topics

• The production and ripening of non-dairy cheeses based on soya milk
• Chemical and physical changes during the ripening of soya curd
• Protein related ripening studies in soya cheese analogues
• Electrophoretic investigation on soya protein changes in the production of soya cheese
• Investigation of the potential of capillary zone electrophoresis for routine food applications
• The effect of heat resistant protease activity on the shelf life of UHT milk
• The influence of formulation and processing methods on the manufacture of liquorice
• Food safety training, a model HACCP instructional technique
• Implementation of HACCP using FLARE FLOW guidelines
• The effect of fermentation conditions on sauerkraut quality
• The effect of marination on the quality attributes of poultry meat
• The effect of storage temperature on the measured and predicted shelf life of chilled prepared foods
• A model for successful new product development in the UK market place
• Business expansion for the development of oil based products
• The effect of heat processing and product formulation on the quality of ethnic food products
• The production of the Middle Eastern food product tahana
• The influence of fermentation on extruded food products
• Production of snack foods from fruit and vegetable material using extrusion cooking
• The development of wheat free and gluten free products
• Characterisation of quinoa seed proteins
• Development of a protein enriched staple food from maize and quinoa
• Development of bread using wheat combined with indigenous Kenya crops
• Comparison of nutrition education and school meals between primary schools in the UK and Korea
• Factors influencing the nutritional status of seven and eight year old schoolchildren in Eldama Ravine, Kenya
• Assessment of nutritional status primary school children aged 7-8 in Khartoum, Sudan
• The effect of high monosaturated fat diets supplemented with various antioxidants on oxidative status, lipid profile and glycaemic control in Type II Saudi diets
• Alternative patient meal systems for delivery in NHS Trust Hospitals and their impact on the well being of patients
• Nutritional supplementation as a treatment for malnutrition in hospitals
• Evaluation of breakfast clubs on the nutritional status and well being on primary school children in North and South Manchester

For further details and an informal discussion, please contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it