PhD student profile, Cristina Proserpio

PhD Student: Cristina Proserpio

Tutor: Prof. Ella Pagliarini, DeFENS

Dean: Prof. Francesco Bonomi

Research area: Food Science and Nutrition

PhD title achieved on: 4^th April 2017

 

Research topic

Sensory perception, food preference and obesity: perceptive, psychological and behavioural determinants of obesity strategy to prevent overweight

 

Project Synopsis

Fairly poor data have been reported on the influence of variables which are deeply-rooted in human mind and determine food habits. Recent evidence has suggested that factors related to sensory perception may explain weigh excess. Recently, the attention of researchers has also been addressed to the mechanisms of multisensory integration in the brain, which could be used to formulate products able to induce a sensory satiety able to reduce food intake. The purpose of my PhD project is to evaluate the relation between sensory perception and weight excess. Specific goals will be: 1) evaluate taste sensitivity (taste thresholds, fungiform papillae density and 6-n-propylthiouracil responsiveness), food liking, and food neophobia in relation to Body Mass Index; 2) study multisensory interactions in obese and normal weight subjects (odor-taste-texture); 3) investigate the effect of ambient odor exposure on appetite, salivation and food intake.

 

Project keywords

sensory science, consumer science, nutrition

 

Contacts

Via Mangiagalli, 25-20133, Milano

Tel: +39 0250319175

e-mail: cristina.proserpio@unimi.it

 

Collaborations:

Prof. Alberto Battezzati, Dr. Simona Bertoli. Centro Internazionale per lo Studio della Composizione Corporea (ICANS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy

Dr. Cecilia Invitti. IRCCS, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano, Italy

Prof. Cees de Graaf, Dr. Sanne Boesveldt. Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

 

Sponsor

Fellowship sponsor: Università degli Studi di Milano

 

Publications

Proserpio C, de Graaf C, Laureati M, Pagliarini E, Boesveldt S. Impact of ambient odors on food intake, saliva production and appetite ratings. Physiol Behav, under revision.

Laureati M, Proserpio C, Jucker C, Savoldelli S. New sustainable protein sources: Italian consumers’ willingness to adopt insects as feed and food. Ital J Food Sci, DOI: 10.14674/1120-1770%2Fijfs.v476

Proserpio C, Laureati M, Invitti C, Pasqualinotto L, Bergamaschi V., Pagliarini E. (2016). Cross-modal interactions for custard desserts differ in obese and normal weight Italian women. Appetite, 100, 203-209. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.02.033

Proserpio C, Laureati M, Bertoli S, Battezzati A, Pagliarini E.(2016). Determinants of obesity in italian adults: The role of taste sensitivity, food liking and food neophobia. Chem Senses, 41, 169–176. DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjv072

Laureati M, Cattaneo C, Bergamaschi V, Proserpio C, Pagliarini E. (2016). School children preferences for fish formulations: The impact of child and parental food neophobia. Journal of Sensory Studies, 31(5), 408-415. DOI: 10.1111/joss.12224

Pagliarini E, Laureati M, Dinnella C, Monteleone E, Proserpio C. and Piasentier E. (2015). Influence of pig genetic type on sensory properties and consumer acceptance of Parma, San Daniele and Toscano dry-cured hams. Journal of the Science of Food and Agricolture, 96 (3): 798–806. DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.7151

 

Paper without impact factor:

Proserpio C, Laureati M and Bergamaschi V (2012). Psiche e memoria condizionano il gusto del consumatore [Psyche and memory influences consumer taste]. Intersezioni, n° 9, January 11^th, 2012.

 

Oral communications:

Pagliarini E, Proserpio C, Laureati M, Invitti C. Brain integration and liking of sensory stimuli in relation to gender and BMI. VIII Congresso Nazionale SIO, Roma, Italy, September 29^th-October 1^st, 2016.

Proserpio C. Study of behavioral and physiological determinants of obesity using a sensory approach. 21^th Workshop on the Developments in the Italian PhD Research on Food Science Technology and Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, September 14^th-16^th, 2016.

Proserpio C, de Graaf C, Laureati M, Pagliarini E, Boesveldt S. Food odors influence behavioral and physiological parameters of human eating behavior. 7th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, Dijon, France, September 11^th-14^th, 2016.

Proserpio C, Laureati M, Jucker C, Savoldelli S. Insetti nel piatto: cosa ne pensa il consumatore? NUTRIMI, 10° forum di nutrizione pratica, Milan, Italy, April 21^st-22^nd, 2016.

Proserpio C. Overweight and obesity: phenomena that is possible to inquire with a sensoryapproach. V Conference of the Italian Sensory Society (SISS), San Michele all’Adige(Trento), Italy, November 26^th-28^th,2014.

 

Poster:

Proserpio C, Laureati M, Invitti C, Pagliarini E. Impact of BMI and gender on cross-modal interactions in custard desserts. 7th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, Dijon, France, September 11^th-14^th, 2016.

Laureati M, Cattaneo C, Proserpio C, Pagliarini E. Sensory profiling of fibre-enriched apple purées by using the Check-All-That-Apply method with school aged children. 7th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research Dijon, France, September 11^th-14^th, 2016.

Laureati M, Cattaneo C, Proserpio C, Pagliarini E. Do children like fish? Perceptive and behavioral factors related to children’s acceptance of fish school formulations. 7th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research Dijon, France, September 11^th-14^th, 2016.

Proserpio C, Laureati M., Pagliarini E. Behavioral and perceptive determinants of obesity in italian adults. 11th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Gothenburg, Sweden, August 23^rd-27^th, 2015.

Proserpio C. Food formulation for reducing overweight: a new sensory approach. 19^th Workshop on the Developments in the Italian PhD Research on Food Science Technology and Biotechnology, University of Bari, Italy, September 24^th-26^th,2014.

 

Others

Certificates, awards and courses:

E3S student’s award granted by European Sensory Science Society. 7th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research Dijon, France, September 11^th-14^th, 2016.

Sensory Project Manager’s certificate provided by Italian Sensory Science Society (SISS) Florence, March 8^th, 2016.

Training course “Multivariate Data Analysis –Level 1, Oslo Science Park, Oslo June 23^rd-24^th, 2016

Training course “Multivariate Statistics” (Prof. Lucia Baldi) Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Milan, May-June, 2016.

Training course “Basic SAS” (Prof. Alberto Tamburini), Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Milan, June-July, 2014.

 

Multimedia materials:

“La Repubblica – Milano” has dedicated an interview to the study “Determinants of obesity in italian adults: The role of taste sensitivity, food liking and food neophobia” published in Chemical Senses. Below the two related links: http://www.unimi.it/news/4034.htm

http://video.repubblica.it/edizione/milano/la-scoperta-piu-papille-gustative-hai-meno-ingrassi/233932/233547?ref=fbplmi

 

Tutoring activities:

Arturo Marchesetti (matr 799719). Sensibilità gustativa e interazioni multisensoriali in relazione allo stato nutrizionale dei soggetti. A.A. 2015-16 Relatore: Ella Pagliarini; correlatore: Cristina Proserpio

Luisa Mistretta (matr 846163). Valutazione delle interazioni multisensoriali in creme dessert e percezione gustativa in donne normopeso e obese. A.A. 2014-15 Relatore: Ella Pagliarini; correlatore: Cristina Proserpio

Camilla Perego (matr 801542). Valutazione delle soglie di percezione gustativa per il dolce e l’amaro in soggetti normopeso e obesi. A.A. 2014-15 Relatore: Monica Laureati; correlatore: Cristina Proserpio

Andrea Borsa (matr 811301). Percezione gustativa e preferenze alimentari in relazione allo stato nutrizionale. A.A. 2014-15 Relatore: Monica Laureati; correlatore: Cristina Proserpio

Giulia Iacono (matr 800021). Studio della sensazione di astringenza in succhi di frutta mediante analisi sensoriale e lingua elettronica (parte A). A.A. 2013-14 Relatore: Ella Pagliarini; correlatore: Cristina Proserpio.

Chiara Rota (matr 799984). Valutazione delle soglie di percezione gustativa per il salato e il grasso in soggetti normopeso e obesi. A.A. 2013-14 Relatore: Ella Pagliarini; correlatori: Monica Laureati; Cristina Proserpio.

Giulia Locatelli (matr 801058). Studio della sensazione di astringenza in succhi di frutta mediante analisi sensoriale e lingua elettronica (parte B). A.A. 2013-14 Relatore: Ella Pagliarini; correlatori: Cristina Proserpio; Susanna Buratti.