Academic Research
The research activity of the University of Gastronomic Sciences aims at increasing knowledge and promoting innovation in the field of gastronomic studies and is developed through collaborations at national and international level, with universities and research institutions, with UNISG partners (supporting partners or strategic partners), and other third parties (private or public) which can sign suitable agreements with the University.
UNISG Research is based on three interdisciplinary areas called: Ecology and Sustainability, Culture and Society, Quality and Innovation.
Research projects, related to one or more of these areas, involve specific skills of UNISG researchers and professors and of the experts who collaborate with UNISG (contract professors, visiting professors, etc.) and ensure relevant results for the scientific community, the stakeholders and the whole society in terms of scientific and economic outputs, visibility and strengthening of the UNISG network.
UNISG for research is: funded research projects, doctorates and research grants, scientific dissemination activities.
Ecology and Sustainability
The research area Ecology and Sustainability proposes transdisciplinary studies and investigations aimed at understanding, interpreting, and accompanying the co-evolutionary transformations of ecological systems and human ecology related to food in light of contemporary environmental challenges. At the center is the interweaving of natural, social, agri-food, and gastronomic ecosystems, investigated with an approach oriented towards ecological transition and regenerative models. The research spans ecosystem biology and functional biodiversity, as well as agroecology and the health of soils and seas, encompassing local knowledge related to nature (ethnobiology), historical ecology, landscape sciences, and environmental sciences, including climate change, sustainability sciences, circular economy, and systemic design.
A significant portion of this research area is also devoted to the critical analysis of food and gastronomic supply chains, the assessment of the ecological efficiency of production models, the examination of sustainable food policies, urban studies, ecotourism, and the interplay between food cultures and biodiversity. Finally, the research incorporates educational and communication approaches designed to foster a new ecological awareness in line with emerging bio-anthropological models of human-non-human relationships, particularly through the lens of food, and to promote scientific and civic engagement for the future of the planet.
Culture and Society
The research area of Culture and Society proposes transdisciplinary studies and investigations related to the cultural and social variants of food on a historical-geographical, anthropological, socio-economic, and legal level. This area also develops research on the ethical and political values that guide food choices, encompassing both food policy and food education. This research proposes theories of taste and conviviality, addressing the relationships between gastronomy and the other arts, and analyzes elements of gastronomic communication and the promotion of food quality. Particularly relevant are studies that critically examine contemporary phenomena of taste aesthetics, lifestyles, conviviality, and hospitality.
Also converging in this area are investigations that deepen and elaborate the historical-cultural, social, and geographical notions of territory, locality, landscape, and sustainable gastronomic tourism.
Part of this area also includes investigations, research, and project proposals related to markets and the economies generated by food and its related industries, as well as studies on the norms and rules that govern their proper functioning.
Quality and Innovation
The research area Quality and Innovation proposes transdisciplinary studies and investigations dedicated to the analysis and critical understanding of food quality along the entire supply chain, from raw materials to final consumption, with particular attention to aspects of safety, nutritional value, sensory, semiotic, symbolic, and cultural properties, environmental sustainability, and technological innovation.
The area’s activities include the development and characterization of innovative foods, including functional foods and novel foods. Special importance is given to both the evaluation of food quality through sensory and instrumental analyses, as well as the study of food acceptability and preferences, and to the qualitative value of foods in terms of perceptions, styles, models, trends, and intersubjective criteria.
A key research focus is the exploration of individual physiological and genetic differences in food perception, as well as the psychological factors that influence multisensory perception, food choices, and consumption practices. Based on these, educational and behavioral interventions are designed to promote healthy, sustainable, and conscious diets. Furthermore, the area contributes to enhancing local resources and agri-food by-products within a circular economy and ecological transition perspective, addressing the evolution of production models in light of the global challenges facing the agri-food sector.
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Contacts
Andrea Pieroni
Delegate of the Rector for Research
