Food Industry Networking Night - Spring 2015

Chapman University’s Food Science Graduate Program hosted its 4^th Annual Food Industry Networking night on April 1, 2015.  This year’s event, co-hosted by first year students Emma Gottschall and Alex Hoang, saw over 110 food industry professionals, alumni and current students exchange ideas, reconnect with professors and colleagues, and, of course swap business cards!  Year after year, this event proves to be a great opportunity to discover industry trends and hiring needs, as well as to celebrate the talented MS and MS/ MBA food scientists studying here at Chapman University.  

This year, we welcomed alumna Iris Galanis Eshoo (M.S. ’97), Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at See's Candy, and Rob Neenan, President of the California League of Food Processors (CLFP) as our Keynote Speakers. Graduate student Tushar Sawant mentioned, “The networking night at Chapman helped me gain valuable insights and helped me connect with important people within the food industry.” Another graduate student, Adam Perestam, stated “Networking night was an invaluable experience that provided the unique chance to meet a wide range of industry professionals to discuss career opportunities, something that couldn’t be replicated anywhere else.” Overall, our students left the event feeling they had gained something valuable for their futures.

See below for snapshots of the night:

Rob Neenan spoke about the status of the California food industry.

 Iris Galanis Eshoo shared her career experiences and imparted professional advice to attendees.

A glimpse of the bustling interactions among students, alumni, and professionals alike.

Many alumni and faculty were able to reconnect after months and years of not seeing one another!

The Food Science program was started 36 years ago to meet the demand of the significant growth of the food industry in southern California. The program quickly gained a reputation for well qualified food scientists. Program Chair, Dr. Anuradha Prakash stated that “Chapman continues to maintain a reputation of excellence where companies remain confident to hire Chapman graduates.”  The turnout of companies represented at the Food Industry Networking Night is a testimony to the high quality of our program and the talent of our students. Thank you to everyone who made the event a success!

Until the next networking night!

-Alex Hoang and Emma Gottschall

Chapman at IFT 2014 New Orleans

Great job at the 2014 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo everyone! Shout out to this year’s College Bowl team that took us to Nationals and did an amazing job! Although we didn’t win, first place winners from Penn State was led by team captain Latha Murugesan, an alumna of Chapman!

Top row: Tara Okuma, Dr. Lilian Were, Jessica Sambuco,
Erin Young, Brendan Wong
Bottom row: Jessica Hallstrom, Crystal Lin

Additional recognition for all those who participated in research competitions, presented posters, gave oral presentations and/or received an award!

Kimberlee Au
Research: "The Effects of Modified Atmosphere Packaging,
Irradiation, and Methyl Bromide Fumigation on the
Quality and Shelf Life of Sweet Cherries" (Fruit & Vegetable Products Division)

Jessica Hallstrom
Received a certificate as a finalist in the "Excellence in
Student Leadership Award" and was selected as an
"Outstanding Volunteer for SCiftS"

Donna Levy
Research: "Microbial Safety of Fresh Herbs from
Los Angeles,Orange County, and
Seattle Farmers' Markets" 
(Food & Microbiology Division)

Crystal Lin
Research: "Antioxidant Capacity of Ground Coffee
in Raw Ground Beef with Added Salt"
(Muscle Foods Division)
Graduate Poster Competition Finalist
Recognized by Phi Tau Sigma for Excellence in Scientific Research

Tara Okuma
Research: "Identification of Meat Species in Pet Foods using
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assay"
(Muscle Foods Division)
Undergraduate Research Competition Finalist

Karen Thang
Research: "The Effects of Modified Atmosphere Packaging,
Gamma Irradiation, and Methyl Bromide Fumigation on
the Chemical, Physical, and Sensory Quality of Blueberries"
(Fruit & Vegetable Products Division)

Why You Should Go to IFT!

Hey everyone!

For those of you that went to the 2014 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo (AFME) this year I hope you enjoyed your trip and have fully recovered from an amazing experience! For those that did not get a chance to go this year I hope you are able to make it to IFT in 2015 where it will be held in Chicago from July 11 - July 14.

It's a great time to support our fellow classmates presenting their research, our college bowl team and represent Chapman University. The IFT AMFE offers everyone the chance to walk the floor and see innovative products and trends for the upcoming year and get an idea of specific areas within the industry you may want to work. When you get tired of walking the floor you can take advantage of the numerous scientific sessions offered which are not only informative, but a great way to learn about interesting topics, trends and technologies. This year's sessions included discussions on 3D food printing, the science of flavor pairing, the perception of consumers on azodicarbonamide and so much more!

If the above reasons were not enough to convince you to attend IFT, here's one more, come to network! The Institute of Food Technologists goes through great lengths to set up mixers and networking events whether it be for students, new professionals or specific divisions. I encourage everyone to come prepared with business attire, business cards and a social attitude. It's a great time to meet professionals and connect with other food scientists regardless of if you are looking for a job.

Still not convinced? Check out pictures from this year's trip to New Orleans, LA (to be posted soon)! It was a blast! Check the blog in a few days where I will be posting a few pictures in honor of our college bowl team, student research and awards received!

Thanks for tuning in!
- Charles Quinto

We're Famous! (Sort Of)

Along with its usual articles, the September issue of Food Technology contained recap of everything that happened at the AMFE in Chicago this summer. The segment included poster presentations, professional development sessions, and award ceremonies. Speaking of award ceremonies, on page 33 of the magazine is Chapman's own Jessica Hallstrom, receiving a Poppy award from John Ruff for first place in the video competition!

She was also mentioned on page 122 along with Crystal Lin, Karen Thang, Natasha Quailes, Amber Skaretka and myself for leading Food Science 101, the fist program in Feeding Tomorrow's initiative to foster interest in food science careers. The photo on the left shows some of the girls who were sponsored to attend the AMFE, and the photo on the right was taken in June when we showed them how you can make ice cream quickly with liquid nitrogen!

Click for larger view.

The Perks of Being a Food Scientist

After taking home a nice bag of goodies from the SCIFTS Suppliers' Night Expo on Wednesday, I felt incredibly lucky to be involved in an industry with such great benefits. It's no secret that the best parts about going to the trade shows and conventions are the free samples and branded knick knacks that companies hand out, and everyone I know takes advantage of each opportunity to get their hands on the things most people have to buy. Some of my most prized samples from that night included a two pound bag of almonds, a bottle of buffalo sauce, dried blueberries and apples, a bag of pistachios, and packets of various nuts and seeds. Although I went away with less "swag" than last year, the experience was much more fulfilling since I devoted more of my time talking to the exhibitors and checking them in.

A few of the Chapman students who attended Suppliers' Night. Excuse my demonic eyes...

(Image: Angelica Heres)

The same weekend of College Bowl was the Natural Products Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center. Unlike Suppliers' Night, this event spanned three days and judging from what I saw, most of the attendees knew that in order to score the most product samples, they had to act strategically. That means finding parking close by for multiple unloading trips, carrying more than one bag (and bringing the kids to help you lug them around), and just plain old being sneaky. Of course, these companies are no strangers to this kind of behavior. Years of experience have taught them that they have to protect their goods, especially if they are of high value. Many companies taped down their products or displayed only empty wrappers but quite a few of them used man power to prevent their shelves from going empty. Employees would quickly run over to someone looking at their product to keep an eye on them or put their hand over the displays to prevent products from being taken. It happened to me many times at booths I was browsing even though I had no interest in the products. But I understand. Businesses are designed to create profit, which would be impossible if products are continually stolen. 

Despite these practices, I still managed to emerge with three bags stuffed with goodies. My roommates especially loved the vitamins, granola, and the gluten-free rosemary focaccia bread I brought home to share and I also got a few things I thought my friends would like. But as I looked proudly at my pile of products I really  began to appreciate the risk that these vendors take when handing out free samples. While well-known established companies can afford to give away large quantities of their goods, smaller companies, like those exhibiting on the Hot Products floor, have to take the risk of losing profit in order to gain customers. Business sure can be tricky...

My one-day haul

So thank you, Suppliers' Night and Natural Products Expo exhibitors, for allowing me to sample your products without charge. The gesture is sincerely appreciated and I will do my best to pay it forward.

Results of the Mountain West Area College Bowl!

The Mountain West Area College Bowl was held this past Saturday at Chapman University! Fortunately, the night before the games began, the teams were able to relax, get to know each other, and have fun as food science students rather than competitors at the annual Area Meeting. The festivities started with a delicious dinner spread provided by Sodexo which we enjoyed on tables cleverly decorated with laboratory glassware filled with fruit. The meal was then followed by a presentation delivered by Area Representative Jonathan Tong, who talked about current and future IFTSA plans. Also in attendance was Anna Ylijoki, Manager of Component Relations at the IFT headquarters in Chicago.

Each of the competing universities were then given a chance to showcase their schools by presenting a slideshow of the past year's events which included Valentines in a Can fundraisers at Brigham Young University, pumpkin bites at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, free cheese curds at Utah State University, California State Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo helping to alleviate child malnutrition, and the Proposition 37 panel at Chapman University.

But the best part of the night by far was the intense game of Food Science Feud where each of the four tables competed as a team in a Family Feud-inspired game. We learned that dad is most likely to feed the kids pizza when mom is away, chefs will probably throw their pots and pans at you if you criticize their food, and that Canada is one of the best beer-making countries, according to the (informal) surveys of 100 food scientists. Judging by the enthusiastic responses and constant laughter, everyone had an awesome time.

The day of the competition the teams and spectators were given a brief recap of the rules and introduction of the judges before beginning. The order in which schools would compete was determined the night before at the Area Meeting.

Although there were periods where none of the teams knew the answer (almost resulting in a shortage of toss-up questions), I've never seen a College Bowl where the competitors fought so strongly for the judges' approval of an answer. It really shows the passion and drive that these students have for winning the title of Regional College Bowl Champion.

In the end, Chapman University and BYU were the last two schools in the double elimination bracket. Chapman had already lost one round, and needed to beat BYU twice in order to win the game. Round 8 concluded with Chapman-12 BYU-0 so the final round was for the win. And with a score of 18 to 8....

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY took home the title of Mountain West College Bowl Champion!!

The road to victory was not easy, but the most valuable lesson I learned from this experience was that persistence pays off. It's easy to get discouraged when you answer a question incorrectly or lose a whole round, but it's not the end of the world. You get another chance. And if you lose two rounds, your chance will come next year.

And even if our team didn't win the title this year, College Bowl still would have been an incredibly fun experience. I got to know my teammates better during our practices and I met such nice people at the Area Meeting. I can't wait to see them again at the IFT Annual Expo in Chicago!

And this was all thanks to an Area Representative who worked his butt off to make sure that everything was perfect and ran smoothly. I would like to extend a GARGANTUAN amount of gratitude to Jonathan Tong for nailing the task of executing such a successful and well thought out Area Meeting and College Bowl Competition. The bar has been set extremely high and I wish the next elected Mountain West Area Representative the best of luck trying to reach it!

If anyone has photos from the today's competition or last night's Area Meeting, please send them to me (au102@mail.chapman.edu) because I would love to post them up on the blog :)

Hello From Mt. Almond!

Image: Crystal Lin

Thank you to Liberty Vegetable Oil Company for allowing us to tour their plant this past week and for creating this giant pile of almonds for us to gawk at and pose in front of.

I hope everyone is having an excellent Interterm, and I look forward to meeting this semester's new food science students soon. Stay tuned for details on a back-to-school get together!

Happy Holidays!

Thank you SCIFTS for a fun night!

Image: Clarissa Salazar

Time for a Little Nostalgia

I hope everyone had a great and restful Thanksgiving weekend! I wasn't able to make it to the annual Thanksgiving potluck, but it sure looks like everyone had a good time.

Image: Patty Kraikittikun

For some reason I always expect home to be different whenever I come back for vacation. Maybe my parents made a decision to purge the house of all my childhood belongings and clothes since I never use or need them anymore. Or perhaps they finally decided to fix all the leaky faucets and rusty sliding doors. But no, everything is pretty much the same each time I return. And as much as I'd like to help them clean out my closet and repair the damage we did as kids, a part of me is happy that everything is just how I left it. A constant reminder of what life was like before moving for college.

Even a  glance at the pantry reminds me of  the good old days. Ridiculous amounts of Spam ("Because they were on sale!" -Mom), boxes of S&B curry mix, jars of furikake seasoning, cans of vienna sausage, and packs of instant ramen. Life was not bad. But while those items will probably be in there until the end of time, I believe there are quite a few things missing...

1. Dunkaroos

Introduced by Betty Crocker in 1988, these were the ultimate recess time snack (aside from dry saimin). Each container had little graham crackers with icing on side side for dunking, but in reality, no one really cared for the cookies. They were simply there to shovel the icing (chocolate or vanilla with sprinkles) into our mouths because our fingers were dirty from playing so much four square.

2. Squeezits

Capri Sun may have been the standard lunch box beverage, but Squeezits were more my thing. Although each bottle had a not-so-appealing face molded into it (was an angry gremlin supposed to make me want to drink it?) I still loved twisting off the plastic nub at the top and downing that blue sugar water. At one point, they even made a black colored drink that was a "mystery flavor" and color pellets that you could add to your Squeezit to change its color. Ah, food science at its finest.

3. EZ Squirt Ketchup

This was one of Heinz' best and worst ideas. What kid doesn't like coloring and playing with their food? But then again...purple ketchup? I remember trying a bottle of the green ketchup once. It certainly tasted like the original red, but as a kid who wasn't too enthusiastic about eating her greens, this wasn't something I'd ask my mom to buy again and I'm sure she was happy about that too.

So what exactly turned a bright red product to the colors that run through Barney's veins? Why my dear, it's copious amounts of FD&C Blue #1 (brilliant blue) and Yellow #5 (tartrazine).

4. Handi-Snacks

The equivalent of a savory Dunkaroos, Handi-Snacks were buttery, flaky, almost crumbly crackers that came packaged with a red piece of plastic for spreading the cheez. Now, I had a weird way of eating these. It's like a save-the-best-for-last approach. I would use the "spatula" and shave off the cheese spread very neatly from its cubic container, being sure to make parallel lines each time it ran through. But I would only use enough to thinly coat the cracker on the perforated side. Just so that the cheez got into the holes and the cracker had a hint of its flavor. After going through each of the crackers using this technique, I would then use the spatula to deliver the rest of the cheez into my mouth. Making parallel lines of equal depth, of course. And I would only eat this variety of Handi-Snacks because the other one, which had breadsticks instead of crackers, wouldn't allow me to neatly apply the cheez. I know I sound like a weirdo kid but I couldn't have been the only one who ate things a certain way, right?

5. Lunchables Pizza

Whoever at Kraft had the idea of selling kids cold, raw pizza that wasn't even put together was a genius. These guys were so popular in elementary school, that everyone had a different way of eating them. Some would pile as much as they could onto one pizza, some would make a pizza sandwich, and others would be make all 3 pizzas at once so that each of them got an equal amount of sauce cheese and pepperoni. Again, I was the weird kid and didn't do any of these. Using the save-the-best-for-last approach, I made and ate the pizzas one by one but only used enough sauce and cheese for them to be decently topped. However, each pizza only had one pepperoni, placed in the center, and I would eat around it until the last bite. With left over pepperoni, cheese, and sauce, I would prolonged my Lunchable experience by making mini pizzas using the pepperoni as the new crust. So maybe I wasn't weird. Just smart!

Oscar Meyer also has other Lunchable varieties like ham or turkey and cheese cracker stackers, deep dish pizza, and chicken dunks, all of which were popular in the cafeteria. Sadly, some really good ones , hot dogs, burgers, and tacos, were discontinued. But those that remain have gone on to become the ultimate lunch. They now include Capri Sun or Kool Aid and a piece of candy or pudding cup. Kids these days, so spoiled.

6. Chupachups

What kind of name is Chupa Chup anyway? According to Wikipedia, it stems from the Spanish verb chupar, to suck. Ok, now that Spanish class is over, let's talk about why these lollipops don't suck. Not only do they come in a bazillion flavors, including cola, banana, and strawberry yogurt, but some of them, like caramel vanilla, unwrap as separate flavors on the same stick. It's like getting an ice cream cone that can fit more than one scoop! They are also famous for their partnership with the Spice Girls. I used to buy one everyday at the convenience store in Chinatown just to get a Spice Girls lollipop and hope that the one I chose had a sticker that I didn't have yet. Not going to lie, I usually never bought the ones with Scary Spice on them...

7. Waffle Crisp

They sure as hell don't taste like waffles, but the fake maple syrup got us all hooked. Not only are they the perfect sugar bomb, but even after sitting in a bowl of milk, these little nuggets of heaven stay crisp and even have enough texture to scrape the roof of your mouth while you chew. A pleasure that's well worth the pain, in my opinion.

8. Shark bites

Whatever flavor those white sharks were, they were the best. Period.

9. Easy cheese

A better name could not have been chosen. The whipped cream-like packaging of this product made it way too easy to eat half the can in one sitting, even if it was a cheese product and not really cheese. The only problem I had with it was that it never really looked appetizing once it was squirted out. It looked like an ugly yellow squiggly worm sitting on top of your cracker. Or is that the point? Maybe it wasn't meant to be squirted onto a cracker, but straight into your mouth ('Merica!) Cheddar and sharp cheddar were my favorite and I always ate them with...

10. Chicken in a Biskit

How exactly does one get a chicken into a biscuit? You cook it, dehydrate it, and blend it with spices and flavor enhancers, that's how. The flavor powder that coated these crackers was pure salty MSG-y goodness that stuck to your fingers like cheese powder from Cheetos, but wouldn't stain your hands as much. You can always tell when someone has just eaten these crispy buttery crackers since that distinct chicken/onion smell takes more than one Altoid to get rid of.

What foods would you have on your list? Did you have a particular way of eating them?

Happy Halloween!

Thank you to everyone who came to our first Halloween party! Everyone looked awesome in their costumes and the food people brought was BEYOND DELICIOUS. We played games, won some surprisingly awesome toys, ate matzo brain soup, and even got to try Miracle Berry Fruit tablets!

Fresh guacamole, home brew, chocolate pumpkin muffins, banana cupcakes, Butterfinger bars, brownie dip, pumpkin popcorn and more! Hungry yet?

Mmmm...bacon and soda..

Pebbles!

Awww, look who came to party!

Yeah, we're awesome. Deal with it :)

Proposition 37 Panel Was a Huge Success!

A big Thank You to everyone who helped organize this packed event! Things got off to a rocky start when one of the panelists arrived late due to airline trouble, but the audience's patience paid off as John Diaz, Dave Murphy, Brendan Huffman, and George Salmas provided their thought provoking arguments. 

 L to R: Diaz, Murphy, Huffman, Salmas

 Wonderful job, Greg and Clarissa!

And an enormous thanks to Whole Foods who provided these goody bags for all of the attendees!

Prepare for the Panel Discussion Tomorrow and Arm Yourself with Knowledge!

Tomorrow is the big day! The FSNSA will be holding the Proposition 37 panel discussion tomorrow, from 3-5pm at Beckman Hall 404. The debate will be held in a town hall-style format, where audience members will be able to ask the panelists questions. In preparation for the discussion and to spark thoughts about your own opinion, here are some useful links related to the potential law:

Summary of Proposition 37 including fiscal impacts, a list of supporters and opposers, donors, and experimental polls.

Official website for Yes on Prop 37.

Official website for No on Prop 37.

"Vote for the Dinner Party," a NY Times article written by food writer and "real food" advocate Michael Pollan.

A Reddit "Ask Me Anything" featuring Michael Pollan.

Official event page for Chapman's panel discussion, including information about each panelist.

The popular Fooducate App debuts a new feature that gives information on GMO ingredients in hundreds of thousands of food products.

A science-based point of view on the Propostition. Dr. Kevin Folta, a professor in the plant molecular and cellular biology program at he University of Florida, gives an interview about the role of GMO's in society from a scientist's perspective. Do they really deserve a bad reputation?

For the visual learners: a cool infographic about Prop 37.

Congratulations to Chapman's Phil Bates Scholarship Recipients!

Following the wine pairing at last night's SCIFTS Dinner Meeting, a number of Chapman students were presented with their certificates for the Phil Bates Scholarship Award. The award was based on academic achievement, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. As seen in the photo above, Chapman also appeared to compose a good amount of the attendees that night. Way to go!

Chapman Food Science Gives Back

The FSNSA recently participated in two community service opportunities: Project Access and Giving Children Hope.

Chapman teamed up with Project Access in Westminster to serve breakfast to seniors and help out with Friday activities. Breakfast was a delicious spread of homemade quiche, strawberries and blueberries, and a croissant. The day's agenda included painting fall decorations, a hidden picture puzzle, and an animated game of Wii bowling.

On Wednesday, members of the club helped out Giving Children Hope's "We've Got Your Back" program by donating food items and sorting through others that will be placed into back packs and distributed to elementary school students. They even made the Giving Children Hope website!

We're in the OC Register!

Click here to view the link and make sure to forward it to all of your friends! Students, ask your professors if you can get extra credit for attending :)

Our First Big Event of the Year is a Go!!

Be sure to attend the debate of one of California's most talked-about issues, Proposition 37: The labeling of GMOs. RSVP to cu.foodscienceclub@gmail.com and click here for more information about the event and the panelists who will be speaking!