Sibel Özilgen
Professor of Food Engineering, Dept. of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts (Head of Department)
Yeditepe University
Kayisdagi-34755, Istanbul
Ph: (0216) 5780785
https://tr.linkedin.com/in/sibel-özilgen-8b203319
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/yeditepe-university-gastronomy-and-culinary-arts
Research Interests
Current research interests include innovation of traditional food products for sustainability; development of new food products and menu items using the visual-sensory attributes of foods to divert consumers' attention from meat-based foods to plant-based foods; development of food safety control programs for food waste reduction at different stages of food processes. Expertise in food engineering/gastronomy/culinary science and technology.
Education
1995 Middle East Technical University, Turkey Food Engineering Ph.D.
1991 – 1992 University of California, Davis Food Science and Technology Concurrent Ph.D. Student
1990 Middle East Technical University, Turkey Food Engineering M.Sc.
1988 Middle East Technical University, Turkey Food Engineering B.Sc.
Appointments
2014 – current Head of Department, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Yeditepe University, Turkey
2019 – current Graduate Program Coordinator in Gastronomy and Culinary Culture Yeditepe University, Turkey
1997 – 1998 Visiting Scientist, Department of Food Technology Massey University, New Zealand
1990 – 1992 Research Assistant, Department of Food Science and Technology University of California, Davis
Publications, Presentations and Patents
Books
• Gida Bilmeceleri-2 (Facts about foods: Food Riddles). Ozilgen S. Yeditepe University Press, Turkey, Istanbul, (2025). This book answers the most common questions about foods in plain, scientific, and simple language.
• Kadim Lezzetler- second edition. Ozilgen S. and Samancı O. Yeditepe University Press, Turkey, Istanbul, 2023. The book outlines the technological and historical development of five traditional Turkish foods: Salep, Turkish coffee, Turkish delight, Turkish hard-candy, boza, leblebi and chocolate.
• Hikayeleriyle Türk Mutfağı (Oral History of Turkish Culinary Culture). Ozilgen S. and Samancı O. Yeditepe University Press, Turkey, Istanbul, 2020.
• Cooking as a Chemical Reaction: Culinary Science with Experiments- second edition. Ozilgen S. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, USA, 2019. The second edition of the book features new chapters on food hygiene and safety, kitchen terminology, and taste pairing, as well as an expanded chapter on the role of food additives in culinary transformations.
• Gida Bilmeceleri-1 (Facts about foods: Food Riddles). Ozilgen S. Yeditepe University Press, Turkey, Istanbul, (2nd print, 2018; 1st print, 2017). This book answers the most common questions about foods in plain, scientific, and simple language.
• Cooking as a Chemical Reaction: Culinary Science with Experiments- first edition. Ozilgen S. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, USA, 2014. The first undergraduate textbook in the field of gastronomy/culinary science.
• Kadim Lezzetler. Ozilgen S. and Samancı O. Yeditepe University Press, Turkey, Istanbul, 2014. The book outlines the technological and historical development of five traditional Turkish foods: Salep, Turkish coffee, Turkish delight, Turkish hard-candy, and chocolate.
• Çocuk-aile ve eğitmen üçgeninde aktivitelerle beslenme eğitimi. Ozilgen S. Alfa Publishing Company, 2007. This book pertains to the eating habits of preschool children. The book is designed to assist and educate parents and educators about eating habits of preschool children.
Book Chapters
• Ozilgen S., Malta S. (2018) Ed. Grumezescu A. M and Holban A. M. Functional properties of biopolymers in food manufacturing in book entitled “Handbook of Food Bioengineering, Volume 20”. Elsevier Publishing Company.
• Ozilgen S., Ozilgen M. (2017) A general template for the FMEA applications in primary food processing. In Measurement, Modeling and Automation in Advanced Food Processing. Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology. Springer, Switzerland.
• Arduzlar D.K, Ozilgen S., Ozilgen M. (2015). Ed. Hui Y. H and Evranuz E. O. Quality Assurance in Vegetable Processing: State of the Science in Practice in 2010s. in Handbook of Vegetable Preservation and Processing, 2nd edition. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, USA
• Ozilgen S. (2015) Ed. Liáng Z. and Zhang B. Factors Affecting Taste Perception and Food Choice in Medicine Research Summaries. Volume 5, Nova Science Publishing, NY, USA.
• Ozilgen S. (2012) Ed. Lynch E.J. and Petrov A.P. Factors Affecting Taste Perception and Food Choice in The Sense of Taste Nova Science Publishing, NY, USA.
Patent
The patent of the gluten-free tarhana formulation and its production technique (2015). Tarhana, a traditional Turkish food, is a dried curd traditionally made of flour, yeast, dairy products, dried vegetables, and herbs and spices. This invention aims at developing a nutritious food product for celiac disease patients. Patent no: TR 2012 10099B
Refereed Research Articles
• Ozilgen, S., Senay, A., Karaosman, A., Yuksel, B., Nas, G., Taskan, S., Ozer, Y. (2026) From board to environment: board games as science tools for communicating food sustainability in higher education. International journal of sustainability in higher education. https://doi.org/ 10.1108/IJSHE-08-2025-0931
• Capkan, E.N., Ozilgen, S. Yildirim, F. (2025) Designing visual menus for a sustainable future: The role of non-meat decoys. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.
• Ozilgen, S., Askaroglu, A. (2025) Leveraging the Synergistic Effect of Menu Format and Visual Sensory Cues as a Potential Tool to Direct Consumers' Preferences Toward More Sustainable Options. Journal of Sensory Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.70049
• Ozilgen, S., Yalcin, S, Aktuna, M., Baylan, Y., Ates, H. (2024) From kitchen to climate: multimedia interventions on social media as science tools for sustainability communication among food business actors International journal of sustainability in higher education. doiI: 10.1108/IJSHE-02-2024-0087
• Baylan Y., Ozilgen, S. (2024) Soft, crispy, crunchy, sustainable: The role of visual textures in shaping sustainable food preferences. Food Quality and Preference, 124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105358
• Nada Smigic, Sibel Ozilgen, Vicente M. Gómez-López, Sandra Maria Osés, Zorana Miloradovic, Biljana Aleksic, Jelena Miocinovic, Sonja Smole-Mozina, Ajda Kunčič, Raquel Guiné, João Carlos Gonçalves, Joanna Trafiałek, Ewa Czarnieck-Skubinag, Gunjan Goel, Marijana Blazic, Dora Herljevic, Aleksandra Nikolic, Alen Mujcinovic, Ilija Djekic. (2023) A multi-national study of consumers’ perception of chilled ready-to-eat foods. J Verbrauch Lebensm. 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s00003-023-01424-1
• Ilija Djekic, Aleksandra Nikolic, Alen Mujcinovic, Marijana Blazic, Dora Herljevic, Gunjan Goel, Joanna Trafiałek, Ewa Czarniecka-Skubina, Raquel Guiné, João Carlos Gonçalves, Sonja Smole-Mozina, Ajda Kunčič, Zorana Miloradovic, Jelena Miocinovic, Biljana Aleksic, Vicente M. Gómez-López, Sandra Maria Osés, Sibel Ozilgen, Nada Smigic. (2022) How do consumers perceive food safety risks – multi-country survey. Food Control, 142: 109216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109216
• Ozilgen S. (2021) Tasting Ancient Greek Modes: Does Culinary Arts Education Make a Difference? International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2021.100419
• Ozilgen S., Aral S., Ozilgen M. (2021) Eco-Friendly Alternative to Brining for Sustainable Storage of Table-Olives Based on the Analyses Done with the Extracted Oil European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejlt.202000343
• Kavsara HK, Ozilgen S., Dagdeviren M. (2020) Safeguarding Grandma’s fermented beverage recipes for food security: Food safety challenges. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. 22: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2020.100266
• Ciftci D. and Ozilgen S. (2019) Evaluation of kinetic parameters in prevention of quality loss in stored almond pastes with added natural antioxidants. Journal of Food Science and Technology- mysore. 56:483-490.
• Ozilgen S. (2016) Do consumers and food service providers share the same understanding of traditional food. G. J. of Food Science and Nutrition 1:1 (http://gavinpublishers.com/food-science-vol1-issue1)
• Kurt L. and Ozilgen S. (2013) Failure mode and effect analysis for dairy product manufacturing: Practical safety improvement action plan with cases from Turkey. Safety Science. 55: 195-206
• Ozilgen S., Bucak S., Ozilgen M. (2013) Improvement of the safety of the red pepper spice with FMEA and post processing quality control. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 50(3): 466-476.
• Ozilgen S. (2012) Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) for confectionery manufacturing in developing countries: Turkish delight production as a case study. Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment. 32(3): 505-514
• Ozilgen S. (2011) Gender is correlated with Body Mass Index, Eating Habits, and Exercise Frequency in Students Attending a Private University in Western Turkey.Acta Alimentaria, 40 (3) 400–406
• Ozilgen S. (2011) Influence of composition and environmental conditions on the textural properties of sultana bars Czech Journal of. Food Scence29 (5) 539–547
• Ozilgen S. (2011) Food safety education makes the difference: food safety perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and practices among Turkish university students. Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety. 6:25-34
• Ozilgen S. (2011) Statistical Quality Control Charts: New Tools for Studying the Body Mass Index of Populations from the Young to the Elderly. The Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging. 15(5) 333-339
• Ozilgen S. (2010) Application of failure mode and effect analysis model to foodservice systems operated by chefs in practice and by chefs from a culinary school in Turkey. Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety. 5:333-343
• Cleland A.C. and Ozilgen S. (1998) Thermal design calculations for food freezing equipment- past, present and future.(1998) Int. Journal of Refrigeration 21 (5): 359-371- Critical review article
• Ozilgen S. and Ozilgen M. (1996) Kinetic compensation relations: Tools for design in desperation. Journal of Food Engineering 29:387-397
• Ozilgen S., Ozilgen M. and Reid D.S. (1994) Kinetic compensation during homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation of ice in aqueous system. Lebensmittel - Wissenschaft und Technologie 27: 319 -323
• Ozilgen S., Reid D.S. (1993) The use of DSC to study the effects of solutes on heterogeneous ice nucleation kinetics in Model food Emulsions. Lebensmittel - Wissenschaft und Technologie 26, 116-120
• Ozilgen S., Simoneau C., German J.B., McCarthy M.J., and Reid D.S. (1993) Crystallization kinetics of Emulsified triglycerides J Sci. Food Agriculture 61, 101-108
• Ozilgen S. and Ozilgen M. (1992) Enthalpy - entropy and frequency factor - activation energy compensation relations for death of Escherichia coli with microwaves in a tubular flow reactor. Acta Alimentaria 21: 195 - 203
• Durukan A., Ozilgen S. and Ozilgen M. (1992) Analysis of a baking process with application of means and range charts to samples coming from combined populations Process Control and Quality 2: 327 - 333
• Ozilgen S. and Ozilgen M. (1991) A model for pasteurization with microwaves in a tubular flow reactor. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 13: 419 - 423
• Ozilgen S. and Ozilgen M. (1990) Kinetic model of lipid oxidation in foods. Journal of Food Science 55: 498 – 502
Seelected International/National Conferences and Seminars
• Ozilgen, S., 2026. From Kitchen Chemistry to Circular Gastronomy. Circular Solutions and Future Trends in Gastronomy and Hotel Management Conference, Istanbul
• Capkan, EN., Ozilgen, S., Yildirim, F., 2023, Designing Menus for a Sustainable Future: The Role of Non-Meat Decoys. International Symposium on Brain and Cognitive Science 2023, Istanbul
• Kavsara, HK and Ozilgen, S., March 25-26, 2021. Safeguarding Grandma’s fermented beverage recipes for food security: Food safety challenges. Universities Fighting World Hunger 2021 Summit, UC. Davis (online)
• Şengüler B., Yıldırım F., Ozilgen, S., 2020. The Relationship between Sensory Perception and Consumer Behavior:
from Traditional Foods to Novel Foods. International Virtual Symposium on Brain and Cognitive Science 2020, Bilkent University, Turkey (online)
• Ozilgen, S. Science in the Kitchen. January 23-25, 2019. Served as an organizing and science committee member, and taught classes in the project founded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBİTAK)
• Ozilgen S. Ethics in the Food Service Industry. Agriculture and Ethics Association- Fall Seminar, November 8th, 2018, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Turkey.
• Ozilgen, S. Global Food Security and Sustainability. FAO- World Food Day, 2017, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey. http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/2017/events/events-details/en/c/1046831/
• Ozilgen S. Safeguarding, Promotion, and Innovation of Turkish Culinary Culture. Food Istanbul, 20-23 September 2017, CNR- FoodExpo, Istanbul Turkey.
• Ozilgen, S. Traditional Food Studies. Gastronomy Talks, Gaziantep University, 17-18 May 2017, Gaziantep, Turkey.
• Amoutzopoulos, B., Ozilgen, S. (2011) Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) application to the process of industrial tarhana production. 4th International Congress on Food and Nutrition together with 3rd SAFE Consortium International Congress on Food Safety, 12-14th October 2011, TUBITAK MAM, Istanbul, Turkey
• Kurt, L.Y., Ozilgen, S. (2011) Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) for fermented dairy products. Poster session. 4th International Congress on Food and Nutrition together with 3rd SAFE Consortium International Congress on Food Safety, 12-14th October 2011, TUBITAK MAM, Istanbul, Turkey
• Naska, A. et.al, on behalf of the BaseFood Black Sea area partners. Dietary data and mortality patterns in countries of the Black Sea region. 11th European Nutrition Conference, 26-29 October 2011, Madrid.
• Vasilopoulou E., et. al. on behalf of the BaSeFood Black Sea area partners. Traditional foods of Black Sea Countries. 11th European Nutrition Conference, October 26-29, 2011, Madrid.
Selected Professional Activities, Projects, and Honors
• Team leader of the project to analyze and modify visual-sensory attributes of foods in printed and online menus to shift consumer preferences from meat-based choices to plant-based choices for a sustainable environment, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2022-.
• Researcher in a multi-country research to evaluate consumers’ attitudes and practices regarding the safety of ready-to-eat foods, led by the University of Belgrade, and includes researchers from nine different countries, 2021-
• Initiated the partnership with Google Arts and Culture and acts as the project leader responsible for managing the portal and producing academic content on the scientific, cultural, and artistic aspects of Turkish Culinary Culture, 2021-. https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/yeditepe-university-gastronomy-and-culinary-arts
• Initiated and led the integration process of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, Yeditepe University into the International Network of the Universities Fighting World Hunger (UFWH) Program organized by the United Nations and Auburn University, USA, 2019.
• Developed and registered the Gastroartology® program (nationally and internationally) in 2019. This unique concentration program combines the fundamentals of arts and culinary science for students interested in utilizing the visual-sensory properties of foods in areas such as marketing, new product development, menu engineering, and food styling in their future professional-life.
• Coordinator of the project in the field of Gastronomy as a partner in the project titled “Cultural integration of the 22 nations in Maltepe through Music, Dance, Literature, and Gastronomy Oriented Activities”. The project was developed and coordinated by Maltepe District Governorship, supported by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in partnership with Maltepe University, Yeditepe University, Maltepe District Directorate of National Education, and Artists and Art Lovers Foundation, 2019.
• Integration process of the Yeditepe University Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts into the International Network of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Chair, “Food, Culture, and Development,” held by Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain, 2016-.
• Awarded the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award by Yeditepe University for the academic years between 2014 and 2025. Distinguished Faculty Awards are given each year in recognition of superior accomplishments in teaching, advising, research, publication, committee work, and public service.
