Food quality depends largely on the sensory properties of a food, including flavor (taste and aroma), color, texture and overall appearance. Among these, flavor is often the most important determinant of food acceptance by the consumer. Aroma is an important element of flavor and is attributed to the perception of volatiles (aroma compounds) present in the dynamic headspace (mouth and nasal cavities) of the food during consumption. Dr. Cadwallader’s research revolves around the study of food flavor as it relates to overall food quality. He is interested in both the basic and applied aspects of the flavor chemistry of foods. His fundamental (foundation) research includes the development of improved methods for the chemical/sensory characterization of food flavor systems. These studies have led to the identification of the character-impact aroma compounds of various foods, including seafood, meat, dairy, vegetable and beverage products as well as food ingredients such as herbs and spices. Dr. Cadwallader’s applied studies are mainly the result of his collaboration with food industry partners. Research in this area includes the development of technology for the creation/recovery of natural flavorings, study of the impact of food processing, packaging and storage on flavor quality and identification of off-flavors and taints. In addition to the above, Dr. Cadwallader is also interested in the physical chemistry of flavor-food matrix (binding) and flavor-flavor interactions flavor release and flavor stability.
