The University of Gastronomic Sciences at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2024

The University of Pollenzo presents an innovative program of tastings, sensory pathways, talks, and in-depth discussions featuring students, alumni, and faculty.

For the first time in 2024, the mobile lab of the Pollenzo Food Lab, a food truck dedicated to sensory experimentation, and UNISG talks, brief presentations on current topics in gastronomic sciences with faculty and researchers.

From September 26 to 30, Terra Madre Salone del Gusto returns to Parco Dora in Turin, and as per tradition, the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo will have a large, dedicated area - located under the Stripping Area of Parco Dora - to welcome visitors, offer activities, present projects, and foster connections among all those involved in the international reality of UNISG.

The space is animated by students, alumni-gastronomes who carry the name of our university across the world, working at various levels and in diverse fields within the international gastronomy sector-faculty, staff, and the network of companies that support the university. Each day, starting in the morning, there will be breakfasts featuring artisanal products from our alumni, sensory pathways, UNISG Talks, thematic discussions, debates, and tastings: a series of opportunities for everyone to engage with the interdisciplinary topics of food studies that characterize Pollenzo's universe.

This year, the UNISG stand is enriched by two major additions: the debut of the Pollenzo Food Lab Mobile Laboratory, a food truck dedicated to sensory research and experimentation, alongside the UNISG Talks, brief presentations on current topics in gastronomic sciences, combining popular science with academic rigor, held by UNISG faculty and researchers.

Every day, the UNISG Mobile Laboratory will host an event called "Discover Your Tastes!", an open and accessible pathway where participants can explore the sensory analysis lab's research projects. Here, you can be guided in discovering your sensory perceptions and the innovative uses of edible product waste: for example, how intensely you perceive the taste of bitterness, how to recognize which foods correspond to certain sounds, or how tomato skins or coffee grounds can be recycled. By stepping aboard the Pollenzo Food Truck, you can ask these and other questions and discover, with a playful yet scientifically rigorous approach, how fascinating and curious the world of food is when viewed through this lens.

The UNISG Talks, which kicked off the celebrations for Pollenzo's 20th anniversary in early June 2024, are a new, fresh, and accessible format for sharing insights on current topics in gastronomic sciences, led by UNISG faculty and researchers. These thematic talks also include a Q&A session with the audience and cover various topics-agroecology, climate, food culture, and more. Discussions will consist of how plastic has invaded our lives and our diets, how Italy and the United States have influenced each other's food practices, how sound signals shape our food experiences, revealing the fascinating world of sound and its profound impact on food perception, and osmospheres, or how food aromas give flavor to our lives by permeating not only environments but also memories, relationships, goods, and seasons.

But that's not all: the stand also features a mini-lab offering two free sensory pathways daily to discover botanical fermented beverages created with blends of tea, fruit, bitters, spices, and woods. You can taste four different proxies (non-alcoholic fermented beverages) to explore the sensory profile of these products and contribute to a UNISG research project.

The UNISG stand is the place where experiences intersect and relationships develop. Here, the young generations of gastronomes, with their international and Pollenzo experiences, return to share their passions and the know-how that characterizes their careers.
Students and alumni will host workshops, tastings, and project presentations, showcasing the remarkable diversity of education offered at Pollenzo.

Visitors will be treated to a diverse array of options: they can enjoy Icelandic cod paired with Alta Langa wines, savor premium Japanese Wagyu beef, learn about the mango supply chain project in Kenya curated by UNISG and CNH, sip miskè and chicha (alcoholic and fermented beverages typical of Ecuadorian and Latin American culture), appreciate Filipino chocolate, discover the role of vinegar in mixology, the goodness of urban weeds, the superpowers of Spirulina algae, the fermented flavors of miso and garum, Vermuth Rosso di Torino, Roero cheeses, Cuneese buffalo mozzarella, plant-based haute cuisine, innovative truffle-based gastronomic applications, and much more.

Many events are free with registration, while other workshops and events can be purchased on theTerra Madre 2024 website For the daily sensory pathways at the Pollenzo Food Lab Mobile Laboratory and the stand, simply go to the stand's desk and wait for your turn.

Costa Group, a strategic partner of the university, has designed and customized the UNISG space.

Visits to Pollenzo

Throughout Terra Madre, visitors can explore the university in Pollenzo to discover its courses, research projects, educational facilities, and opportunities. Schedule your visit by booking an appointment at this link

For a comprehensive, day-by-day program of activities in Turin and Pollenzo, visit the UNISG website

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