WUEB doctoral researcher in nationwide science project. Oliwia Paroń joins “Science Has a Voice”

MSc Eng. Oliwia Paroń of the Wroclaw University of Economics and Business is taking part in the nationwide Science Has a Voice project, run by the Copernicus Science Centre and the Minister of Science and Higher Education. Her first session will take place on 19 April at the Copernicus Science Centre and will explore how changes in fat structure affect the properties of food. The project brings together selected researchers from across Poland and is designed around direct public engagement rather than one-way communication.

Science that stays close to people

Science Has a Voice is designed to strengthen trust in science through direct contact between researchers and the public. It is not built around mini-lectures or one-sided presentations. Its value lies in conversation: asking questions, clarifying doubts and creating space for genuine exchange.

Twenty-five researchers from across Poland were selected for the project. Meetings take place both at the Copernicus Science Centre and in SOWA discovery zones across the country.

MSc Eng. Oliwia Paroń’s participation reflects that idea well. Her topic grows out of scientific research, but it leads directly to everyday questions: what determines the properties of food products, why similar ingredients do not always produce the same result, and what really shapes the way food behaves.

How can fat structure be changed without changing composition?

The proposed title of the session, How can fat structure be changed without changing composition?, sits within food technology, a field concerned with designing products that are safe, functional and well received by consumers.

At the centre of the session is a problem that may sound specialised at first, but in practice concerns food encountered every day. Vegetable oils have a favourable fatty acid profile, but they are liquids. That limits their use in many products, including baked goods and creams. Researchers are therefore developing methods of physically structuring oils without chemically altering their composition. Solutions of this kind can make it possible to achieve the required consistency while also improving nutritional value.

Why food structure matters

During the session, the speaker will explain why liquid vegetable oils cannot replace solid fats in many food applications. Participants will be introduced to the difference between liquid and solid fats and will see how strongly material structure affects product properties.

They will also encounter the idea of a product being sensory acceptable: in simple terms, having the right texture, appearance and taste.

This topic shows clearly that food is not simply the sum of the ingredients listed on a label. Its properties also depend on how those ingredients are organised. Two products with a similar composition may behave very differently because their structure is different. Participants will also see, in practice, how structural change affects material properties, why oil and water do not mix, and how a material with solid-like properties can be obtained from liquid oil.

Food science without distance

The central message of the workshop is clear:

“The properties of fats can be shaped by changing their structure, without changing their chemical composition.” – MSc Eng. Oliwia Paroń, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, participant in the Science Has a Voice project.

This idea captures the point of the session well. It invites people to look at food not only as a list of ingredients, but also as a structure that can be designed deliberately. In this way, food science becomes less distant. It starts to explain things that are very close to everyday life: what we eat, how products are made, and why their properties matter for health and the quality of daily choices.

The first Science Has a Voice session will take place on 19 April at the Copernicus Science Centre. A further session is already scheduled for 29 April at the SOWA Zone of Discovery, Imagination and Activity in Lubin.

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Author of text: Barbara Grzelczak