Dr Mei Peng, Our people, Department of Food Science, University of Otago, New Zealand

Senior Lecturer

Ph.D. (Auckland), M.A Hons (Auckland), BA (Auckland)

Honorary Lecturer, School of Psychology (University of Auckland)

Contact

Tel +64 3 479 4052 Ext 4052
Email mei.peng@otago.ac.nz
Location CSB 109

About

Dr Mei Peng is a senior lecturer in Sensory Science in the Department of Food Science. With a background in Experimental Psychology, Mei uses multi-disciplinary approach (behavioural, cognitive-neuro, physiological) to study inter- and intra-individual differences in sensory processing and their links to food-related behaviour, and health issues, such as obesity and depression.

Mei’s Laboratory is specialised in running large-scaled, multi-factored, human-participants based studies, including a few Marsden-funded projects (e.g., Searching for multi-sensory fingerprints: a personalised index of hedonic eating (2018–2020); How do sensory shifts shape our diet (2022-2025)).

In 2020, Mei initiated the establishment of the Otepoti-based longitudinal research cohort to track behavioural and neural-sensory changes related to pregnancy – the ENERGY Longitudinal Study Cohort – the very first pregravid longitudinal research cohort in Aotearoa.
Mei currently sits on the Editorial Board of Food Quality and Preference. She is also the founding member of Australasian Sensory Professional Network, and a main organiser of the annual NZOZ sensory symposium.

She is also a member of Food Waste Innovation, a University of Otago Research Theme.

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Teaching

Course Co‑ordinator

Contributor to

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Research interests

Mei has a diverse range of research interests, including basic sensory processing, eating behaviour, food psychology, and human health. She is particularly interested in understanding intersections of sensory physiology and psychology, and how these can impact on human health.

Effects of pregnancy on macronutrient selections
Multi-sensory Fingerprints – Individual differences in multi-sensory processing to indicate obesity

Research projects

ENERGY longitudinal cohort study

Multi-sensory Fingerprints – a personalised index of hedonic eating and obesity
Long-term effects of COVID on eating behaviour and food choices
When Plant-based diets meet pregnancy – how maternal plant-based diets affect mothers and infants
“Mummy Brain” – Long-term effects of pregnancy on neurosensory, eating-related cognitive and behavioural processing
Please contact me to discuss a research project

Postgraduate supervision

Current students

Stephanie McLeod (PhD), “When Plant-based diets meet pregnancy – how maternal plant-based diets affect mothers and infants”
Elizabeth Tabe Agbor (PhD), “The impact of gustation and olfaction on eating behaviours and dietary patterns from pre-pregnancy to the postpartum in low social-economics groups and refugees”
Dhirendra Gehlot (Marsden-funded PhD), “Olfactory cocktail party: How human segregate mixture of odours”
Hannah Browne (PhD), “Long-term effect of pregnancy on sensory abilities and macronutrient selection”

Past PhD students

Rachel Ginieis (PhD), “Multi-sensory fingerprints and their links to hedonic eating
Sashie Abeywickrema (PhD), “Linking individual olfactory and gustatory sensitivity to adiposity and eating behaviour”
Nassim Jalil Mozhdehi (PhD), “Comparing sensory perception and dietary intake across individuals with vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous diets”
Xiaohai (Justin) Geng (PhD), "Developing and assessing implicit methods for food choices"

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Publications

Abeywickrema, S., & Peng, M. (2023). The role of tableware size in healthy eating-effects on downstream food intake. Foods, 12, 1230. doi: 10.3390/foods12061230

McCormack, J. C., Roberts, R., Garratt, M., Wang, T., Hayes, J., & Peng, M. (2023). Longitudinal study of Energy, Neurosensory and Eating Responses durinG pregnancY (ENERGY cohort): A study protocol. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2023.01.033

Abeywickrema, S., Ginieis, R., Oey, I., Perry, T., Keast, R. S. J., & Peng, M. (2022). Taste but not smell sensitivities are linked to dietary macronutrient composition. Appetite. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106385

Maharjan, A., Khwaounjoo, P., Peng, M., & Cakmak, Y. O. (2022). Non-contact neuromodulation of the human autonomic nervous system function via different odors: Sex, menstrual cycle, and odor dose- and duration-specific effects. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16, 950282. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.950282

Ginieis, R., Abeywickrema, S., Oey, I., & Peng, M. (2022). Testing links of food-related olfactory perception to peripheral ghrelin and leptin concentrations. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 888608. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.888608

Abeywickrema, S., & Peng, M. (2023). The role of tableware size in healthy eating-effects on downstream food intake. Foods, 12, 1230. doi: 10.3390/foods12061230

Journal - Research Article

Abeywickrema, S., Ginieis, R., Oey, I., & Peng, M. (2022). Olfactory and gustatory supra-threshold sensitivities are linked to ad libitum snack choice. Foods, 11, 799. doi: 10.3390/foods11060799

Journal - Research Article

Abeywickrema, S., Oey, I., & Peng, M. (2022). Sensory specific satiety or appetite? Investigating effects of retronasally-introduced aroma and taste cues on subsequent real-life snack intake. Food Quality & Preference. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104612

Journal - Research Article

Ginieis, R., Abeywickrema, S., Oey, I., Keast, R. S. J., & Peng, M. (2022). Searching for individual multi-sensory fingerprints and their links with adiposity: New insights from meta-analyses and empirical data. Food Quality & Preference. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104574

Journal - Research Article

Maharjan, A., Peng, M., & Cakmak, Y. O. (2022). The effects of frequency-specific, non-invasive, median nerve stimulation on food-related attention and appetite. Appetite, 169, 105807. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105807

Journal - Research Article

Maharjan, A., Peng, M., Russell, B., & Cakmak, Y. O. (2022). Investigation of the optimal parameters of median nerve stimulation, using a variety of stimulation methods, and its effects on heart rate variability: A systematic review. Neuromodulation. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2021.10.005

Journal - Research Article

Deng, Q., Haszard, J. J., Conner, T. S., Rapsey, C., Peng, M., & Venn, B. J. (2021). Cognitive performance, mood and satiety following ingestion of beverages imparting different glycaemic responses: A randomised double-blind crossover trial. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 75, 602-610. doi: 10.1038/s41430-020-00749-6

Journal - Research Article

Ginieis, R., Abeywickrema, S., Oey, I., Franz, E. A., Perry, T., Keast, R. S. J., & Peng, M. (2021). The role of an individual's olfactory discriminability in influencing snacking and habitual energy intake. Appetite, 167, 105646. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105646

Journal - Research Article

Jalil Mozhdehi, N., Abeywickrema, S., Bremer, P. J., & Peng, M. (2021). Comparing taste detection thresholds across individuals following vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore diets. Foods, 10, 2704. doi: 10.3390/foods10112704

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Browne, H., Cahayadi, J., & Cakmak, Y. (2021). Predicting food choices based on eye-tracking data: Comparisons between real-life and virtual tasks. Appetite, 166, 105477. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105477

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Potterton, H., Chu, J. T. W., & Glue, P. (2021). Olfactory shifts linked to postpartum depression. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 14947. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94556-z

Journal - Research Article

Cahayadi, J., Leong, S. Y., Oey, I., & Peng, M. (2020). Textural effects on perceived satiation and ad libitum intake of potato chips in males and females. Foods, 9(1), 85. doi: 10.3390/foods9010085

Journal - Research Article

Duerlund, M., Vad Andersen, B., Alexi, N., Peng, M., & Byrne, D. V. (2020). Subjective sensations related to food as determinants of snack choice. Foods, 9(3), 336. doi: 10.3390/foods9030336

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Cahayadi, J., Geng, X., & Eidels, A. (2020). Mixed messages: Assessing interactions between portion-size and energy-density perceptions in different weight and sex groups. Appetite, 144, 104462. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.104462

Journal - Research Article

Cahayadi, J., Geng, X., Mirosa, M., & Peng, M. (2019). Expectancy versus experience: Comparing Portion-Size-Effect during pre-meal planning and actual intake. Appetite, 135, 108-114. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.01.012

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Coutts, D., Wang, T., & Cakmak, Y. O. (2019). Systematic review of olfactory shifts related to obesity. Obesity Reviews, 20, 325-338. doi: 10.1111/obr.12800

Journal - Research Article

Traill, R. M., Luckman, M. S., Fisk, N. A., & Peng, M. (2019). Application of the Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) method to differentiate the visual appearance of milk powders using trained sensory panels. International Dairy Journal, 97, 230-237. doi: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2019.05.013

Journal - Research Article

Ginieis, R., Franz, E. A., Oey, I., & Peng, M. (2018). The “sweet” effect: Comparative assessments of dietary sugars on cognitive performance. Physiology & Behavior, 184, 242-247. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.12.010

Journal - Research Article

Maharjan, A., Peng, M., & Cakmak, Y. O. (2018). Non-invasive high frequency median nerve stimulation effectively suppresses olfactory intensity perception in healthy males. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 533. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00533

Journal - Research Article

Maharjan, A., Wang, E., Peng, M., & Cakmak, Y. O. (2018). Improvement of olfactory function with high frequency non-invasive auricular electrostimulation in healthy humans. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 225. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00225

Journal - Research Article

Pickup, W., Bremer, P., & Peng, M. (2018). Comparing conventional Descriptive Analysis and Napping^®-UFP against physiochemical measurements: A case study using apples. Journal of the Science of Food & Agriculture, 98(4), 1476-1484. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8616

Journal - Research Article

Rodrigues, N., Peng, M., Oey, I., & Venn, B. J. (2018). Glycaemic, uricaemic and blood pressure response to beverages with partial fructose replacement of sucrose. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 72, 1717-1723. doi: 10.1038/s41430-018-0134-x

Journal - Research Article

Wang, E., Cakmak, Y. O., & Peng, M. (2018). Eating with eyes: Comparing eye movements and food choices between overweight and lean individuals in a real-life buffet setting. Appetite, 125, 152-159. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.02.003

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M. (2017). How does plate size affect estimated satiation and intake for individuals in normal-weight and overweight groups? Obesity Science & Practice, 3(3), 282-288. doi: 10.1002/osp4.119

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Adam, S., Hautus, M. J., Shin, M., Duizer, L. M., & Yan, H. (2017). See food diet? Cultural differences in estimating fullness and intake as a function of plate size. Appetite, 117, 197-202. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.06.032

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Hautus, M. J., & Jaeger, S. R. (2016). Methods for fitting olfactory psychometric functions: A case study comparing psychometric functions for individuals with a "sensitive" or "insensitive" genotype for β-ionone. Chemical Senses, 41(9), 771-782. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjw090

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Hautus, M. J., Oey, I., & Silcock, P. (2016). Is there a generalized sweetness sensitivity for an individual? A psychophysical investigation of inter-individual differences in detectability and discriminability for sucrose and fructose. Physiology & Behavior, 165, 239-248. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.08.004

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Jaeger, S. R., & Hautus, M. J. (2014). Fitting psychometric functions using a fixed-slope parameter: An advanced alternative for estimating odor thresholds with data generated by ASTM E679. Chemical Senses, 39, 229-241. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjt073

Journal - Research Article

Jaeger, S. R., McRae, J. F., Bava, C. M., Beresford, M. K., Hunter, D., Jia, Y., … Peng, M., … Newcomb, R. D. (2013). A Mendelian trait for olfactory sensitivity affects odor experience and food selection. Current Biology, 23(16), 1601-1605. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.07.030

Journal - Research Article

McRae, J. F., Jaeger, S. R., Bava, C. M., Beresford, M., Hunter, D., Jia, Y., … Peng, M., … Newcomb, R. D. (2013). Identification of regions associated with variation in sensitivity to food-related odors in the human genome. Current Biology, 23(16), 1596-1600. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.07.031

Journal - Research Article

Jaeger, S. R., Pineau, B., Bava, C. M., Atkinson, K. R., McRae, J. F., Axten, L. G., … Peng, M., … Newcomb, R. D. (2012). Investigation of the impact of sensitivity to cis-3-hexen-1-ol (green/grassy) on food acceptability and selection. Food Quality & Preference, 24(2), 230-242. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2011.11.005

Journal - Research Article

Peng, M., Jaeger, S. R., & Hautus, M. J. (2012). Determining odour detection thresholds: Incorporating a method-independent definition into the implementation of ASTM E679. Food Quality & Preference, 25(2), 95-104. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2012.02.006

Journal - Research Article

Hautus, M. J., Shepherd, D., & Peng, M. (2011). Decision strategies for the A Not-A, 2AFC and 2AFC-reminder tasks: Empirical tests. Food Quality & Preference, 22(5), 433-442. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2011.02.008

Journal - Research Article

Hautus, M. J., Shepherd, D., & Peng, M. (2011). Decision strategies for the two-alternative forced choice reminder paradigm. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 73(3), 729-737. doi: 10.3758/s13414-010-0076-4

Journal - Research Article

Journal - Research Other

Browne, H., Kok, A., & Peng, M. (2021). Effects of pregnancy on sensory fingerprints and eating behaviour. Proceedings of the University of Otago Student Research Symposium: Te Wānaka Rakahau: Ākoka. (pp. 15). [Abstract]