To increase the academic attainment of students from the College of Biosystems engineering and Food Science, a series of online lectures related to digital agriculture and future food was held in 2021. On August 10^th, Dr. Yun Yin, an assistant professor from the Department of Food Science and Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, gave an academic report entitled “Flavor Science 101: Principles, Application and Implications”. The event was host by professor Hui Zhang’s research assistant Meiyu Chen.

Dr. Yin’ s research interests focus on (1) characterizing flavor compounds in food systems and (2) identifying their formation pathways, (3) applying novel engineering solutions to existing difficulties in flavor manufacturing, and (4) convenient synthesis of highly unstable odorants. Her current research interest also extends to the correlation between aroma attributes and genetic expression in plants.

Flavor is the key driver of consumer acceptance for food products from multi-dimensional aspects and largely determines the commercial success of newly launched food products. However, understanding the formation mechanisms and experience of flavors is difficult. One the one hand, flavor covers aroma, taste and chemical feeling from multi-scale sensations, and the inner neurobiological process and their relationships with physiological stimulation are still under study. On the other hand, the aroma system of food products is complicated and it is difficult to find the exact chemical compounds that contribute the most to the flavor. For, example, more than 1,000 volatile compounds contributed to the perception of hop aroma. Moreover, the low concentration and inequal contribution of each aroma compound makes it difficult to isolate and analyze. Subsequently, Dr. Yin introduced some widely-used aroma extraction methods, including solid-phase microextraction (SPME), simultaneous distillation solvent extraction (SDE), direct solvent extraction (DSE), and solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), separation and characterization methods (GC/MS). She also gave some case studies on quality control of crackers, off-flavored UHT milk, and nonfat dry milk.

Apart from research work, Dr. Yin shared her experience on living and studying abroad at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also gave some advices on maintain excellent supervisor‒graduate relationships.

After report, Dr. Yin had a communication and interaction with students regarding questions on the data processing and analytical methods for results acquired from GC/MS. Students all displayed appreciation to Dr. Yin’ s report and her kindly advices on studying abroad.