Short Course
The Mouthfeel Assessment

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Date

18th – 20th May 2026

Location

 The University of Leeds

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The Mouthfeel Assessment Short Course focuses on developing an in-depth understanding of the mouthfeel of alternative proteins, blends, and food matrices to help solve key industry challenges.

This course provides comprehensive knowledge and practical skills to assess and improve product appeal for consumers. You’ll gain state-of-the-art insights and hands-on experience using cutting-edge equipment and advanced data science toolkits designed to accelerate product development.

The curriculum covers mouthfeel, creaminess, juiciness, mouth coating, the role of saliva in oral processing, and the importance of rheology and tribology in sensory perception. It also includes training on a range of sensory tests, tribology using human tongue-like surfaces, real-time adsorption techniques for mouth coating, and data science approaches for deriving relevant correlations.

Course PROGRAMME
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Learning Outcomes:

  • To gain fundamental understanding of oral processing from rheology to tribology and adsorption as well as the role of saliva in influencing mouthfeel 
  • To identify suitable mouthfeel assessment techniques to screen your products to reduce the cost and cycle time for product development 
  • To design and optimise experiments to obtain high quality, realistic data and use latest machine learning approaches to analyse data on mouthfeel  
  • To solve mouthfeel-related challenges in real product applications 

Practical Skills:

  • Conduct tribology tests using cutting–edge biomimetic human tongue like surface 
  • Apply flow and complex rheological characterisation to understand mouthfeel 
  • Design sensory studies for alternative protein products 
  • Use advanced tools such as Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring (QCM-D) to analyse textural complex sensation 
  • Apply data science to correlate instrument and human sensory data in complex sensations such as mouthcoating, juiciness, creaminess 

  •  To accelerate mouthfeel screening before sensory testing 

Timeline

Registration opens
26th Nov

Registration
closes
27th Feb

Course begins
18th May

Course ends
20th May

Sample Testing
21st May

Cost

£3500

Limited spaces.
For group packages (3+ spaces), please contact [email protected]

Fee includes:  

  • Access to industry relevant expertise in mouthfeel, sensory science and product development in alternative and hybrid proteins
  • Training on use of cutting-edge technology such as QCM-D, MTM, biomimetic tongue-like surface
  • Additional learning via advanced data science toolkit
  • Lunch and refreshments for the three-day course
  • Social dinner on 19th May

 

 

Who should attend?

This course is relevant to industry professionals working in or related to:

  • Product development and sensory science.

  • Ideal for those wanting to deepen their understanding of:

    • the importance of mouthfeel in food formulation,

    • techniques for assessing sensory and textural properties,

    • experiment optimisation for alternative proteins using data and digitalisation — a core NAPIC theme.

    • learning about cutting-edge tools used for providing mechanistic understanding of mouthfeel such as Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring (QCM-D), 3D biomimetic tongue like surface-assisted tribology, with salivary coatings.


Sample Testing Additional Cost- £2000

21st May 2026 , University of Leeds

An excellent opportunity to have a sample of your choice tested by our expert team. We’ll carry out the data fitting and analysis for you, providing clear, actionable insights.
This testing can help you identify new opportunities, optimise product performance, and potentially inspire innovative development pathways tailored to your product line.

1 test, 1 sample, 3 repeats with data fitting & analysis for £2000.

If you are interested, please tick the relevant box in the registration link and we will be in touch. Please note that a Material Transfer Agreement will need to be discussed and agreed in advance of the course.

Short Course: Mouthfeel Assessment


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Brief Overview

Main themes of the course:

1 – Introduction to oral processing and oral tribology in product development  

2 – Saliva and oral surfaces: human factors in mouthfeel assessment  

3 – Fluid flow of ‘simple’ and ‘complex’ foods 

4 – Advanced measures of mouthfeel attributes and oral processing  

5 – Experimental design and data analysis including machine learning 

6 – From basics to advanced theories in oral tribology covering various set-ups  

7 – Role of food ingredients interactions in mouthfeel – case studies  

8 – Linking tribology to rheology and adsorption  

9 – Real-life mouthfeel analysis – can in vitro tools fast track product development in alternative proteins?

1 – Problem solving activity in mouthfeel to fast-track product development in alternative proteins – Dos and Don’ts  

2 – Rheometer- Stress relaxation of concentrated protein suspensions/ doughs  

3 – Plug and play with real sensory and textural datasets to derive product development cues

4 – Tribology with biomimetic tongue-like set-up 

5 – QCM-D adsorption and interaction of saliva with alternative protein  

6 – Sensory test with plant protein samples 

Pillars

Meet The Trainers

Anwesha Sarkar NAPIC Team People

Anwesha Sarkar

Co-Director for Perform Pillar

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Prof Anwesha Sarkar is a Professor of Colloids and Surfaces at the University of Leeds, specialising in oral processing and mouthfeel. Prof Sarkar co-directs the PERFORM pillar of NAPIC and leads MicroLub Ltd, a Leeds spin-out developing mouthfeel-enhancing ingredients. Previously, she spent five years at Nestlé Research in Switzerland. With over 15 years’ experience, she is internationally recognised for advances in oral tribology, mouth coating, and creating the first 3D biomimetic tongue surface. Prof Sarkar leads a team of 20+ researchers and has published 150+ papers, holds 10 patents, and has received major awards including the SCI McBain Medal and an ERC Starting Grant.

Gleb-Yakubov-410

Gleb Yakubov

Professor and Chair in Food Biopolymers

University of Leeds

Prof Gleb Yakubov is Professor and Chair in Food Biopolymers at the University of Leeds. Gleb has 9 years of experience in industrial R&D with global fast-moving consumer goods companies, 12 years in academic posts at the University of Nottingham and the University of Queensland. His research focuses on polysaccharides, food physics, soft matter, oral tribology, biofluidics, rheology, force spectroscopy (including colloidal probe AFM), and the structural and functional behaviour of biopolymers. Prof Yakubov is particularly interested in how processing of grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables shapes nutritional quality, and in developing advanced imaging, microscopy, machine-learning and computer-vision tools to understand oral processing and food structure across scales.

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Ben Kew

NAPIC Research & Innovation Fellow

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Dr Ben Kew is a Postdoctoral Researcher at NAPIC, University of Leeds. Beginning his career in culinary school, he went on to study Food Science and earn a PhD in Food Colloids at Leeds. He has experience across culinary practice, industrial product development and academic research. Ben’s work focuses on alternative proteins, oral tribology, sensory science and protein processing for improved functionality and real-world application. He characterises protein interactions using QCM-D, AFM, rheology, tribology with 3D-printed tongues and sensory modelling. A co-inventor on a patent, he works closely with industry, chairs the STLE UK Student Chapter, and is active in public outreach. Ben has received multiple research and presentation awards.

Siavash-Soltanahmadi

Siavash Soltanahmadi 

Lecturer in Food Biomaterials

University of Leeds

Dr Siavash Soltanahmadi is a Lecturer in Food Biomaterials and a theoretical and experimental tribologist with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Before moving into food research, he worked with major engineering and lubrication companies including SKF, Afton Chemicals, Volvo, ESTL, Total and Equinor. In recent years, he has brought his expertise in tribology and materials engineering to leading food industries, focusing on hydrogels, colloidal systems, interface chemistry and tribo-analytical method development. His current research centres on sustainable foam-based food structures and tribo-analysis tools for complex foods such as lab-grown meat. Sia has received innovation fellowships and grants and regularly shares his work through public engagement and invited talks.

Maryam-Afzali

Maryam Afzali

Research Support Technician

University of Leeds
 
M-J-Holmes (1)

Melvin Holmes

Associate Professor of Food Processing

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Dr Mel Holmes is Associate Professor of Food Processing at the University of Leeds, where he also serves as Director of Student Education. With more than 25 years of combined academic and industrial experience, and a background in applied mathematics, he specialises in modelling complex food systems and developing statistical approaches for real-world data. His research spans deterministic and stochastic modelling, including differential equation-based analysis of heat transfer, thermoacoustics and microwave processing. Dr Holmes also works extensively on probabilistic dietary exposure assessments using national datasets, and on ultrasound characterisation of emulsions and bulk fluids, integrating analytical, numerical and experimental methods.

Campus Maps

Explore the Interactive Campus Map to help with directions, and view what other amenities are in close proximity such as: Food and Drink Outlets, Baby Changing Facilities, Prayer Rooms, Quiet Spaces, and Gender Neutral Toilets.

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Hotels

HOW TO BOOK ACCOMMODATION

To help book your accommodation, view options available via VISIT LEEDS. 

Book here

Simply click the link, select your preferred dates, choose your preferred hotel, and complete your reservation. Please note that credit card details are required only to guarantee the booking — payment will be made upon arrival at your chosen hotel.

We recommend booking early to secure your room, as availability is limited.

Cancellation Terms

We understand that circumstances may change and if you can no longer join us please contact us at [email protected].

Contact Us

If you have a query please use the enquiry form to contact us or email  [email protected].