Professor Riëtte de Kock is professor of Consumer and Food Sciences at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Her research focuses on the optimisation of the sensory properties of foods that contribute to the nutrition status and well-being of consumers in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes food product development to meet the demands of a growing, more urbanised African population, and the exploration of Africa’s bio-diverse food sources to make products not only nutritionally adequate but also appealing and appetising. Prof De Kock is a past research chair of the European Sensory Network and President Elect (2021-2023) of the South African Association for Food Science and Technology and chair of the Africa Network for Sensory Evaluation Research (ANSWER). In 2017, she received a South Africa national award as Distinguished Woman Scientist for outstanding contributions to research and innovation leading to socio-economic impact and woman empowerment in.
