The Department of Food Science at Aarhus University will be richly represented at the largest food festival in the Nordic countries which runs from 7-9 September at Tangkrogen in Aarhus.

2012.08.21 | Søren Tobberup

Date	Fri 07 Sep — Sun 09 Sep
Time	12:00  —  19:00
Location	Tangkrogen, Aarhus

How do mushrooms become enriched in vitamin D?

What does food containing seaweed taste like?

And how do we grow lettuce in multilayers?

These are some of the questions that scientists at the Department of Food Science at Aarhus University will be able to answer when the Food Festival – with space for 30,000 people and the ambition to become the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries – is launched from 7-9 September in connection with the Aarhus Festival week.

The festival is divided into different themes, such as the ocean, the plant kingdom, the cornfield, the meat area, and the dairy world. The Department of Food Science is involved in the plant kingdom, where three different research teams have special focus on apples and their durability, palatability and varieties. There will also be a stand giving people the chance to experience different sensory qualities and basic flavours.

At another stand a number of scientists will be presenting and explaining how plants can be grown in tiered racks and how to optimise plant nourishment.

A unique collection of Jerusalem artichoke clones, taken from Research Centre Aarslev, will also be on display at a stand at the Food Festival and there will be plenty of opportunity to taste Jerusalem artichokes, carrots and beetroots, and to find your favourite among the bitter, sweet and sour flavours of the vegetables.

- The festival gives our department a unique opportunity to present some of our current research to a wider audience that presumably has a keen interest in our work. We really look forward to the close dialogue with visitors to the festival, but also with the other exhibitors and producers, says Merete Brødsgaard Henriksen, scientific officer at Aarhus University.

In addition to plants, Aarhus University is also be represented in the ”Dairy World” theme, where scientists can demonstrate how packaging affects the food quality. In the “Meat Area”, the food scientists will be answering the question of whether consumers will be able to buy artificial meat in the supermarket in the near future.

An international food conference and workshop entitled “New, Nordic & Natural - Food in completely novel ways” will be held concurrent with the Food Festival. The conference, held on 6 September at hotel Scandic Aarhus City, will provide insight into the development of Nordic food and future food ingredients and trends. The workshop takes place the following day at the Food Festival market place, where some of the world's best food developers talk about product development processes with presentations, demonstrations and tastings.

The organisers of this first annual Food Festival is the Food Organisation of Denmark, which includes public and private actors who promote Nordic food and gastronomy. Aarhus University is one of the partners of the organisation.

Read more about the festival on the Food Festival home page.

Further information:

Scientific officer Merete Brødsgaard Henriksen, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, telephone: +45 8715 8332, e-mail: merete.brodsgaard@agrsci.dk