Professor Heather Smyth
Professor

Heather Smyth

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 32469

Background

Professor Heather Smyth is a flavour chemist and sensory scientist who has been working with premium food and beverage products for more than twenty years. With a background in wine flavour chemistry, her expertise is in understanding consumer enjoyment of foods and beverages in terms of both sensory properties and composition.

Smyth has a special interest in describing and articulating food quality, understanding regional flavours of locally grown Australian produce, and modelling food flavour and textural properties using instrumental measurements. Smyth also specialises in researching how human physiology and psychology can impact sensory perception and therefore food choice.

Availability

Professor Heather Smyth is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Analytical chemistry Chemical Sciences Engineering Food chemistry and food sensory science Food sciences

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University of Adelaide
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Adelaide

Research interests

  • Distinctive Australian Foods and Beverages

    Australia has the opportunity to be the supplier of premium foods into global markets but needs to go beyond traditional ‘clean and green’ positioning to secure sustainable high value market positions. Across all commodity sectors, there is the opportunity to further develop the Australian advantage through identifying and marketing distinctively Australian food products to receptive target markets, such that they are ‘reassuringly expensive’. Defining unique 'regional flavors' of Australian products is one approach to develop a point-of-difference in premium products. Another obvious way to add distinctiveness is to use ingredients which are sourced from uniquely Australian native plants. Projects that address these challenges and opportunities may broadly include (1) investigations that identify, validate, communicate and generate consumer value from the distinctive characteristics of foods and ingredients sourced from Australian agriculture, and (2) exploring how to develop food and ingredient industries based on the unique composition and characteristics of Australian native plants.

  • Next Generation Foods and Beverages

    Future foods will contain natural health-promoting components, such as plant phytonutrients (which act as antioxidants) with reduced fat, sugar and salt levels. The challenge for food companies is to develop healthier foods for the future without compromising on sensory properties and consumer enjoyment. In many cases, it is currently not possible to dramatically reduce the level of fat, sugar and salt because of a loss in mouthfeel and flavour as well as structural integrity. Increasingly, food companies are looking for alternative means in which to structure food that allows it to have superior nutritional value whilst having favourable sensory properties. Projects in this area may include (1) exploring new ingredients and processes to identify novel ways of delivering desirable sensory properties in processed and minimally processed products, and (2) investigating human sensory perception, physiology and mouth behaviour, to understand how to deliver equivalent sensory experiences in modified products.

  • Understanding Human Sensory Perception

    Enjoyment of food is highly dependent on an individual's ability to sense the properties and components of food. The human sensory system is highly complex, with different sense organs simultaneously relaying nerve signals that activate multiple parts of the brain. Sensory perception is further complicated by our behaviour (such as the way we chew) and our physiology (such as our saliva), not to mention psychological, biological and environmental factors. Food companies are keen to understand the interaction between the food product and the consumer such that they can design nutritious foods that meet and exceed customer requirements and expectations. Research in this area may include (1) understanding the interaction of food and beverages with physiological factors such as human saliva, and (2) exploring the natural variation in an ethnically diverse population in terms of sensory acuity, physiology, mouth behaviour and consequently perception.

Research impacts

Professor Smyth works closely with the food and beverage industries to discover what sensory qualities consumers want and supports the design, production and marketing of superior products with increased consumer value. Current projects involve specialty coffee, beer, wine, native plant foods, cocoa, premium beef and seafood, tropical fruits, cereals, dairy products and some processed products and snack foods.

Smyth is also heavily involved in training industry and researchers in the application of flavour chemistry, sensory and consumer evaluation methods.

Search Professor Heather Smyth’s works on UQ eSpace

230 works between 2003 and 2025
All (230) Journal Article (105) Book Chapter (4) Conference Publication (119) Book (1) Other Outputs (1)

121 - 140 of 230 works

2020

Journal Article

The use of vibrational spectroscopy to predict Vitamin C in Kakadu plum powders (Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Combretaceae)

Cozzolino, Daniel, Phan, Anh Dao Thi, Netzel, Michael E., Smyth, Heather and Sultanbawa, Yasmina (2020). The use of vibrational spectroscopy to predict Vitamin C in Kakadu plum powders (Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Combretaceae). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 101 (8) jsfa.10950, 3208-3213. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.10950

The use of vibrational spectroscopy to predict Vitamin C in Kakadu plum powders (Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Combretaceae)

2020

Journal Article

An infrared analysis of Terminalia ferdinandiana exell [Combretaceae] fruit and leaves—towards the development of biospectroscopy tools to characterise uniquely Australian foods

Sultanbawa, Yasmina, Chaliha, Mridusmita, Phan, Anh Dao T., Olarte Mantilla, Sandra M., Netzel, Gaby, Netzel, Michael E., Smyth, Heather and Cozzolino, Daniel (2020). An infrared analysis of Terminalia ferdinandiana exell [Combretaceae] fruit and leaves—towards the development of biospectroscopy tools to characterise uniquely Australian foods. Food Analytical Methods, 14 (3), 423-429. doi: 10.1007/s12161-020-01915-z

An infrared analysis of Terminalia ferdinandiana exell [Combretaceae] fruit and leaves—towards the development of biospectroscopy tools to characterise uniquely Australian foods

2020

Conference Publication

The nutritional potential of the Australian Green Plum (Buchanania obovata)

Fyfe, Selina, Smyth, Heather E., Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe, Rychlik, Michael, Sultanbawa, Yasmina and Schirra, Horst Joachim (2020). The nutritional potential of the Australian Green Plum (Buchanania obovata). Metabolomics 2020: The 16th Annual Conference of the Metabolomics Society, Online, 27 - 29 October 2020.

The nutritional potential of the Australian Green Plum (Buchanania obovata)

2020

Journal Article

Assessing the interaction between drying and addition of maltodextrin to Kakadu plum powder samples by two dimensional and near infrared spectroscopy

Cozzolino, Daniel, Phan, Anh Dao T. , Netzel, Michael, Smyth, Heather and Sultanbawa, Yasmina (2020). Assessing the interaction between drying and addition of maltodextrin to Kakadu plum powder samples by two dimensional and near infrared spectroscopy. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 247 119121, 119121. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2020.119121

Assessing the interaction between drying and addition of maltodextrin to Kakadu plum powder samples by two dimensional and near infrared spectroscopy

2020

Journal Article

Ability to detect and identify the presence of particles influences consumer acceptance of yoghurt

Olarte Mantilla, Sandra M., Shewan, Heather M., Shingleton, Rebecca, Stokes, Jason R. and Smyth, Heather E. (2020). Ability to detect and identify the presence of particles influences consumer acceptance of yoghurt. Food Quality and Preference, 85 103979, 103979. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103979

Ability to detect and identify the presence of particles influences consumer acceptance of yoghurt

2020

Journal Article

Influence of particle modulus (softness) and matrix rheology on the sensory experience of ‘grittiness’ and ‘smoothness’

Shewan, Heather M., Stokes, Jason R. and Smyth, Heather E. (2020). Influence of particle modulus (softness) and matrix rheology on the sensory experience of ‘grittiness’ and ‘smoothness’. Food Hydrocolloids, 103 105662, 105662. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2020.105662

Influence of particle modulus (softness) and matrix rheology on the sensory experience of ‘grittiness’ and ‘smoothness’

2020

Journal Article

A mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopy study of the composition of edible Australian green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina)—a qualitative study

Olarte Mantilla, Sandra M., Alagappan, Shanmugam, Sultanbawa, Yasmina, Smyth, Heather E. and Cozzolino, Daniel (2020). A mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopy study of the composition of edible Australian green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina)—a qualitative study. Food Analytical Methods, 13 (8), 1627-1633. doi: 10.1007/s12161-020-01783-7

A mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopy study of the composition of edible Australian green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina)—a qualitative study

2020

Journal Article

A practical approach on the combination of GC-MS and chemometric tools to study Australian edible green ants

Olarte Mantilla, Sandra M., Alagappan, Shanmugam, Chaliha, Mridusmita, Sultanbawa, Yasmina, Smyth, Heather and Cozzolino, Daniel (2020). A practical approach on the combination of GC-MS and chemometric tools to study Australian edible green ants. Food Analytical Methods, 13 (7), 1475-1481. doi: 10.1007/s12161-020-01768-6

A practical approach on the combination of GC-MS and chemometric tools to study Australian edible green ants

2020

Journal Article

Slower development of lower canopy beans produces better coffee

Cheng, Bing, Smyth, Heather E., Furtado, Agnelo and Henry, Robert J. (2020). Slower development of lower canopy beans produces better coffee. Journal of Experimental Botany, 71 (14), 4201-4214. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eraa151

Slower development of lower canopy beans produces better coffee

2020

Conference Publication

Exploring relationships between perceived satiation, subsequent satiety, and plant-based food features

Ni, Dongdong, Gunness, Nima, Smyth, Heather and Gidley, Mike J. (2020). Exploring relationships between perceived satiation, subsequent satiety, and plant-based food features. 15th Australian and New Zealand Sensory and Consumer Science Symposium, Online, February 2020.

Exploring relationships between perceived satiation, subsequent satiety, and plant-based food features

2020

Journal Article

Sensory properties of yellow pea and macadamia honeys from conventional and flow hive extraction methods

Grace, Emily, Olarte Mantilla, Sandra, Sunarharum, Wenny Bekti, Ong, Cheng Mun, Waanders, Jennifer, D'Arcy, Bruce Robert and Smyth, Heather Eunice (2020). Sensory properties of yellow pea and macadamia honeys from conventional and flow hive extraction methods. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 100 (5) jsfa.10221, 2027-2034. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.10221

Sensory properties of yellow pea and macadamia honeys from conventional and flow hive extraction methods

2020

Conference Publication

Seaweed – A Secret Weapon to Combat Climate Change?

Urlass, Saskia, Sultanbawa, Yasmina, Smyth, Heather, Netzel, Gabriele and Netzel, Michael (2020). Seaweed – A Secret Weapon to Combat Climate Change?. Science Week 2020, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 17-20 August 2020.

Seaweed – A Secret Weapon to Combat Climate Change?

2020

Conference Publication

Purple sweetcorn—an innovative horticultural product—consumer views

Mantilla, Sandra Milena Olarte, Lyons, Philippa, O'Hare, Tim J. and Smyth, Heather Eunice (2020). Purple sweetcorn—an innovative horticultural product—consumer views. Third International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 11–13 November 2019. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI AG. doi: 10.3390/proceedings2019036102

Purple sweetcorn—an innovative horticultural product—consumer views

2020

Conference Publication

Application of multi-scale deformation models to oral processing of plant-based foods

Stokes, Jason R. and Smyth, Heather E. (2020). Application of multi-scale deformation models to oral processing of plant-based foods. IFT20 Virtual Annual Event, Virtual, 13-15 July 2020.

Application of multi-scale deformation models to oral processing of plant-based foods

2020

Conference Publication

Sensory research on horticultural products

Smyth, Heather Eunice (2020). Sensory research on horticultural products. International Symposium of Horticulture and Plant Biology (Virtual), Wuhan, China, 26 August 2020.

Sensory research on horticultural products

2020

Conference Publication

Discerning wine astringency sub-qualities by tribological approaches in a model system—what is the role of saliva?

Wang, Shaoyang, Smyth, Heather E., Mantilla, Sandra M. Olarte, Stokes, Jason R. and Smith, Paul A. (2020). Discerning wine astringency sub-qualities by tribological approaches in a model system—what is the role of saliva?. Third International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 11 – 13 November 2019. Basel, 4052 Switzerland: M D P I AG. doi: 10.3390/proceedings2019036061

Discerning wine astringency sub-qualities by tribological approaches in a model system—what is the role of saliva?

2019

Journal Article

Sensory characteristics of the longissimus thoracis et lumborum and biceps femoris muscles from male and female common eland (Taurotragus oryx)

Needham, Tersia, Laubser, Johannes G., Kotrba, Radim, Bureš, Daniel, Smyth, Heather and Hoffman, Louwrens C. (2019). Sensory characteristics of the longissimus thoracis et lumborum and biceps femoris muscles from male and female common eland (Taurotragus oryx). Meat Science, 158 107918, 107918. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.107918

Sensory characteristics of the longissimus thoracis et lumborum and biceps femoris muscles from male and female common eland (Taurotragus oryx)

2019

Conference Publication

Revealing the driving components of red wine mouthfeel – Insights from sensory and physical measurements

Wang, Shaoyang, Olarte Mantilla, Sandra, Stokes, Jason, Smith, Paul and Smyth, Heather (2019). Revealing the driving components of red wine mouthfeel – Insights from sensory and physical measurements. TropAg 2019, Brisbane, QLD Australia, November 2019.

Revealing the driving components of red wine mouthfeel – Insights from sensory and physical measurements

2019

Conference Publication

Relationships between perceived satiation, subsequent satiety, and plant-based food features

Ni, Dongdong, Gunness, Purnima , Smyth, Heather E. and Gidley, Michael J. (2019). Relationships between perceived satiation, subsequent satiety, and plant-based food features. 5th International Conference on Food Structure, Digestion and Health, Rotorua, New Zealand, 1-3 October 2019.

Relationships between perceived satiation, subsequent satiety, and plant-based food features

2019

Journal Article

Diurnal Harvest Cycle and Sap Composition Affect Under-Skin Browning in 'Honey Gold' Mango Fruit

San, Anh T., Hofman, Peter J., Joyce, Daryl C., Macnish, Andrew J., Marques, Jose R., Webb, Richard, Li, Guoqin and Smyth, Heather E. (2019). Diurnal Harvest Cycle and Sap Composition Affect Under-Skin Browning in 'Honey Gold' Mango Fruit. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10 1093, 1093. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01093

Diurnal Harvest Cycle and Sap Composition Affect Under-Skin Browning in 'Honey Gold' Mango Fruit

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2029
    ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding for Agricultural Futures
    ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2028
    National Passionfruit Breeding and Evaluation Program
    Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2026
    Genetics of Fruit Sensory Preferences (HIA project administered by DAF)
    Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2025
    Plant based foods: Towards sustainable and acceptable meat analogues
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2026
    Genetics of Fruit Sensory Preferences
    Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023
    Reduced enteric emissions of Grainfed Wagyu Cattle through feeding of red Asparagopsis for 300 days - Sensory Evaluation (AACo administered MLA grant)
    A. A. COMPANY PTY. LTD.
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2022
    Measurement of pH in high intramuscular fat samples and existing technology validation
    Meat & Livestock Australia
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2022
    Emulsion gels and sensory perception
    Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Plant-based meat analogues
    Motif FoodWorks
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    National Papaya Breeding and Evaluation Program (Hort Innovation Grant administered by Griffith University)
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2024
    ARC Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods
    ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2022
    Improving the efficiency of Kakadu Plum value chains to grow a robust and sustainable industry
    CRC for Developing Northern Australia
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2020
    A situational analysis for developing a Rice industry in Northern Australia
    CRC for Developing Northern Australia
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Advanced Nanoparticle, Colloid and Microparticle Characterisation and Precision Engineering Nanosystems Facility
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2019
    Dietary manipulation of pork fatty acid profiles to develop an Australian pork flavour signature relevant to Chinese consumers
    Australian Pork
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2020
    Food structure design
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    Value added bakery products using native plants as functional ingredients
    Innovation Connections
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2021
    Naturally Nutritious
    Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    Australian native foods as natural additives to improve quality and shelf life of frozen meals
    Research Connections
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    Understanding Coffee Quality
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2018
    Agents of change: Transforming the food industry for Australia, Asia and beyond
    ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Chemical methods to underpin an understanding of coffee quality
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2017
    Use of plant derived compounds to condition piglet intake at weaning and reduce post-weaning use of therapeutics
    CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Tactical Research Fund: Developing a dynamic regional brand - focus on flavour
    Fisheries Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2013
    Prevention of muddy taints in farmed barramundi
    Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Heather Smyth is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Heather Smyth directly for media enquiries about:

  • aroma
  • beef
  • coffee
  • consumer research
  • flavour
  • food quality
  • human senses
  • premium food
  • sensory science
  • smell
  • taste
  • taste panels
  • wine

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