Black Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is highly valued for its distinctive aroma, but freezing and thawing can alter volatile compounds and tissue quality. This project will investigate how different thawing strategies influence aroma retention and physical quality after frozen storage. Conventional refrigerated and room-temperature thawing will be compared with microwave-assisted rapid thawing approaches designed to shorten thawing time. The student will track post-thaw changes using a commercial electronic nose for rapid aroma fingerprinting, supported by selected gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) measurements. Texture analysis and thawing/weight loss measurements will be used to evaluate physical changes in parallel. The project aims to identify practical thawing conditions that better preserve truffle aroma while maintaining acceptable texture, and to assess whether electronic-nose measurements can provide a rapid indicator of post-thaw quality.
School
Chemical Engineering
Research Area
Food engineering | Truffle processing | Food aroma | Electronic nose | Postharvest quality
Suitable for recognition of Work Integrated Learning (industrial training)?
No
- Research environment
- Expected outcomes
- Supervisory team
- Reference material/links
The student will join the food engineering research team in the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW and work within an ongoing research program on Australian truffle processing and aroma. The project provides hands-on experience in experimental design, frozen-food processing, aroma analysis and food texture characterisation. The student will have access to frozen black truffle samples, commercial electronic-nose systems, texture-analysis equipment and GC-MS support within the research team.
- • Compare conventional and rapid thawing strategies for frozen black truffle.
- • Quantify post-thaw aroma changes using electronic-nose fingerprints and selected GC-MS measurements.
- • Measure changes in firmness, thawing loss and short-term post-thaw quality.
- • Identify thawing conditions that provide a favourable balance between aroma retention and physical quality.
- • Develop skills in experimental design, multivariate data analysis and scientific communication through the final Taste of Research poster.
- Lao, Y., Lee, D., Wilson, A., Wang, Y., & Selomulya, C. (2026). Variations in truffle aroma during processing and storage: From aroma degradation to emerging encapsulation strategies. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 105729.