On Saturday April 11th, Chapman’s Food Science Program had
the pleasure of hosting an interactive educational experience for Girls Inc! High
school students from different regions were brought to Chapman University to
learn about Food Science thanks to the collaboration between FSNSA and Girls
Inc female leaders Christie Pearce, Amanda Perl and Cathleen Chase. The girls
were actively engaged in all aspects of the event all the way through an
information session on college admission. It was great to see how excited the
students were to learn about scientific principles behind ice cream, our taste
perception and making gummy balls! In addition, the girls that attended asked
insightful questions to gain a deeper understanding of the science as well as
the application process. I have no doubt these young women will become
successful professionals in any career they choose! Read more about the
specific demonstrations as well as thoughts by FSNSA members involved with the
workshops below!
To start us off, the organizer of the event, Dawn Kane, gave a very informative presentation about what food science is all about. A brief description of the many, wonderful fields of food science were described which sparked the interest of all the girls! After a short question and answer period, the girls were divided into four groups and were sent off to the various classrooms to get some hands on food science experience!
The demo led by Emma
Gottschall focused on sensory science. The girls were first asked to try two
samples of colored seltzer, one purple and one pink. Without any hints about
the flavors most girls believed the purple sample tasted like grape, while
there was a mixed consensus about the pink drink. The girls were surprised to
learn that the purple juice was actually strawberry-kiwi! While most
people assume that taste is the only impact on how we perceive flavor, the
girls learned that your expectations also have a huge impact on how a food
tastes. While some attributes like color or size can be controlled in sensory
testing, other factors cannot be controlled. Emma took the demonstration one
step further to help the girls understand the role of genetics in taste. Participants
were given PTC strips containing phenylthiocarbamide. When tasting PTC,
approximately 75% of the population perceive a highly bitter taste based on a
specific gene. The remainder of the
population perceive a slight bitter taste or none at all. Emma said “The girls
were extremely interested in learning about the science behind sensory testing
as well as what it’s like to be a taste tester. After all, who wouldn't love to
get paid to eat?!”
Another demo was led by Sabrina Davis and focused on
pigments from red cabbage! Sabrina said “The girls enjoyed seeing the changing
colors of cabbage extract, from purple to red and from red to blue!” Extracts
from the cabbage can be used as a pH indicator. The pigment that gives the
vegetable its color is called anthocyanin which undergoes a color change under
acidic and basic conditions. The demo showed the process of extraction of the
cabbage pigments, as well as the solutions that change its color!
In this demo Akanksha Jain is educating the girls on how
aliginate, a substance from algae, can be used to form gummies! In the photo
above, Logan Kane represents a “calcium ion” which is required for the alginate
to form a gel network and produce a gummy!
In another demo on Microbiology, led by Sophia Pollack, the girls got a chance to look at E.coli and Bacillus sp. which are two common causes of food borne Illness. They saw a penicillin slide and were told about the history of antibiotics and how penicillin was accodently discovered by Alexander Flemming, and they looked at Euglena, a common protist found in fresh and salt water (not pathogenic). Next the girls Learned the acronym FAT TOM to remember the requirements needed for growth of microbes. We finished up by a discussion on how to prevent microbial growth in food using hurdle technology and safe handling practices.
As the eventful day came to a close, the girls heard from a representative of Chapman to learn about the application process, majors offered and how
standardized testing scores are used. After learning about what it takes to get
into Chapman, the girls were given a tour around campus before heading back
home with newfound knowledge in Food Science!
It was also great to see that a current FSNSA volunteer,
Katrina Jully, could personally relate to Girls Inc. Katrina said “I had the
opportunity to be a part of Girls Inc back when I was in middle school. So for
me to be a part of it again, but as a “team leader,” was a wonderful way to
complete the circle. I am so glad to see that Girls Inc has grown over the
years and continues to be a wonderful organization that supports the
development of girls into strong, bold, and confident women.”
It was a great event and we look forward to continuing the
tradition of educating young minds! If you want to know more about the
chemistry behind these experiments, or just food science in general, follow our
blog, e-mail the Food Science Program Assistant Sonja Montiel (smontiel@chapman.edu), or join the Food
Science and Student Nutrition Association (FSNSA)!
Thanks for reading!
Charles Quinto
