FOODucation: Educating Young Minds! A Workshop for Girls Inc!

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.

One of the tastiest demonstrations was led by Charles Quinto and focused on ice cream! Ice cream is considered an oil-in-water emulsion, which means that the product is made up of tiny particles of water distributed in oil. The oil is from the different fats present in the ice cream base from the milk component. Ice cream is also considered a foam as air is whipped into the ice cream causing an increase in volume. The process of whipping the ice cream base to increase volume is known as overrun. In the food industry, ice cream has a maximum allowed percentage of being 100% overrun – or allowing a twofold increase in volume. Large ice crystals in ice cream produce a texture that is icy and unpleasant when the expectation is a creamy product. To prevent the formation of large ice crystals, we used liquid nitrogen to rapidly freeze the ice cream base. This quick freezing action prevents large ice crystal formation and therefore produces a nice creamy ice cream! In the picture, Emma is carefully adding liquid nitrogen while whipping the ice cream base (dressed in proper protective equipment! Safety first!) while the girls get to decorate their ice cream with food coloring and sprinkles!

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

Guest Lecturer: Suzanne Pecore

A few weeks ago, we had an amazing guest lecturer come speak to the Sensory Evaluation class! Suzanne Pecore is a celebrity in the world of Sensory Science. Currently working as a Global Connector Principal Scientist for General Mills, her expertise in the industry was enlightening for many of our Food Science students. Suzanne studied under Rose Marie Pangborn, a pioneer in sensory science at UC Davis. Her subsequent experiences at Foremost McKesson, Nutrasweet, and General Mills have led her to where she is today. Suzanne conveyed during her lecture that every job is a learning experience and an important step in your career path. For those of us particularly interested in Sensory, Suzanne's detailed description of the innovative methodologies being used at General Mills were remarkable. One test in particular, the Tetrad test, is a contemporary analytical testing method that Chapman students are currently using as a component of their sensory panels this semester. Suzanne's advice was helpful and inspiring. We are certainly lucky to have had the chance to attend this wonderful lecture!


- Sabrina Davis

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

FOODucation: American Meat Cuts

Hey everyone,

Finals is next week! Good luck! Here's something short and...well savory most of the time! If you ever wondered where specific cuts of meat are derived from, here are a few answers! These graphics also include suggested/common ways that cut of meat is cooked! Enjoy!

All of these can be purchased as posters here:
http://shop.chasingdelicious.com/products/american-meat-cuts-posters-set-of-four

Thanks!
- Charles Quinto

Edible Flowers

Hey everyone!

The heat has finally let up and finals are just around the corner. Today I wanted to talk about edible flowers! Add color, flair and a new twist to drinks and dishes! Below is a select list of flowers used in restaurants across the nation along with their sensory properties. Enjoy!

Pansy: velvety texture and tangy flavor

Nasturtium: sweet and peppery

Snapdragon: sweet and intense (try it on desserts!)

Orchid: mildly sweet (try it with cocktails!)

Arugula Blossom: Nutty and spicy (try it with seafood!)

Borage Blossom: cucumber flavor  (try it with cocktails!)

As always here is a link to the original article. The article also includes a recipe for Halibut!
https://www.yahoo.com/food/eat-more-flowers-83630099858.html

Nasturtium image taken from: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/ingredients/detail/nasturtiums

Borage blossomm image taken from: http://www.ediblewildfood.com/borage.aspx

Thanks!
- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Fish Farming

Hey everyone,

We're in the last month of the semester before finals, I hope you're surviving the strong winds and heat wave that has been unrelenting. On a much cooler note, let's talk about.....aquaculture! What is aquaculture you ask? Put simply, it is farming aquatic organisms.

Given the increasing population and need for sustainable practices, aquaculture presents a solution. For example, a facility roughly the size of an airport runway could produce the equivalent of salmon produced by Norway. While there has been opponents against fish farming due to waste production, potential for harboring disease and problems associated with feed all hope is not lost!

Dr. Yonathan Zohar has a laboratory in Baltimore which has managed to spawn branzino and gilt-head seabream. The environment is kept clean so that the fish do not need antibiotics, chemicals or hormones to maintain health. To reduce detriment to the environment, water is filtered and recycled while any waste produced is broken down by bacteria. Additionally, scientists are developing new feed formulas made from natural ingredients such as algae instead of traditional feed which may contain fish oils.

Here's the article from NPR which also discusses another aqua farm in an industry setting:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/04/07/298333029/the-future-of-clean-green-fish-farming-could-be-indoor-factories

Thanks!
- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Gut Bacteria!

Hey everyone!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm still transitioning into our time leap forward thanks to daylight savings! In any case, the semester is moving along and it's almost the middle of March! Today I bring you information about your gut bacteria! Exciting, I know, but please try and contain your bowel movements.

Picture from NPR article, see link below

As many of you might know, it has been suggested that probiotics may confer health benefits due to a number of various reasons, but today I want to discuss an article I read from NPR. Harvard University has been examining the effect of a diet high in meat and dairy. It turns out, the microflora in the gut changes within two days of a high protein and dairy diet, but this alteration has the potential to cause intestinal and inflammation diseases in mice.

As the types of micrboes in the gut began to shift, so did their expression of genes. Bilophila organisms began to dominate the gut as they love their bile (or rather ours!). This is important since there is an increase in bile production when a diet is rich in fats from meat and dairy. Though the Bilophila are assisting us, increased numbers have been associated with the promotion of inflammation.

Just another reason to consume a well balanced diet!
Have a great week everyone!

And as always, if you would like to see the full article, here is the link:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/10/250007042/chowing-down-on-meat-and-dairy-alters-gut-bacteria-a-lot-and-quickly

- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Honeybees Decline

Hey everyone,

Hope the spring semester is going well! It's been a while but here is a post I've been meaning to write for a few weeks so here it is! It seems these days as if more and more articles, posts, and documentaries are spreading the word on the declining honeybee population. For those who do not know, here are a few important facts about honeybees taken from the Natural Resources Defense Council:

• Since 1990, >25% of managed populations have disappeared in the U.S.
• Bees are pollinators which assist in spreading pollen and seeds
• Pollination is important for >30% of the world's crops and as high as 90% of wild plants
• Hone bees are important for producing food crop

While it is still widely thought that the reduced populations were due to residual pesticides, recent studies suggest there may be another suspect, tobacco ringworm virus. While it is still unknown whether the virus contributes or is responsible for the decline what has been observed are the following:

• The virus initially remained in the gut or salivary glands, but recently has been found throughout the entire bodies of the bees
• The virus is also found in a parasite (varroa mite) that infects the bees
• Tobacco ringworm in addition to the black queen cell virus, deformed wing bee virus and Israel acute paralysis virus were found at higher concentrations prior to colony collapse in studies completed by the U.S. and China

More information can be read here (recommended): http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/files/bees.pdf

National Geographic information: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/honeybee/

Link to Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrodgers/2014/01/31/plant-virus-jumps-1-6-billion-year-species-barrier-to-infect-honeybees/

- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Flavor Pairing

Hey Everyone,

Spring semester is right around the corner! Ever wonder why sometimes one spice tastes like another or why absurd sounding combinations end up tasting amazing? It may have to due to shared flavor compounds!
A paper was written discussing the hypothesis that ingredients sharing flavor compounds taste better together than those with different compounds. For example, though it may not sound appealing to consider eating white chocolate and caviar, both contain trimethylamine and additional flavors. What was also interesting was analysis of cuisines by region show that North American and Western European dishes gravitate towards the use of ingredients with similar flavor compounds. East Asian and Southern European dishes on the other hand, avoid the use of similarly flavored ingredients.

To entice you into reading the entire paper take a look at these flavor networks!

The entire paper can be read here:
http://www.nature.com/srep/2011/111215/srep00196/full/srep00196.html

Enjoy!

- Charles

Use Science to Improve Your Cookies!

One of my favorite food bloggers, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt from Serious Eats, has done a fantastic article about the science of cookies, specifically those of the chocolatus chipis species. He covers everything from the difference between using melted and creamed butter to egg yolks vs. egg whites to dough temperature and everything else in between. You can find the original article here along with a recipe but in order to get you into the kitchen faster, I present to you the condensed version:

Do not replace butter with other fats (eg. shortening, margarine, lard). The proteins in butter are essential to the flavors in your dough.

Melted butter will produce denser cookies while creamed butter will make cakier cookies.

Cookies made with browned butter will come out softer because of less gluten development. However this may cause it to break more easily.

A higher proportion of egg white to egg yolk will result in a taller cookie while a higher egg yolk to egg white ratio will result in a more dense, brownie-like cookie.

White sugar is pure crystallized sucrose. Brown sugar is mostly sucrose, but also contains glucose and fructose (more hygroscopic than sucrose) with trace minerals that give it flavor and a slightly acidic pH.

Cookies made with 100% white or 100% brown sugar

Cookies made with slightly acidic brown sugar cause them to rise more and spread less because the brown sugar reacts with baking soda (a base) to make bubbles that provide lift. Cookies made with white sugar do not leaven, but they are more crisp because sucrose does not hold water molecules as well as glucose and fructose.

Incorporate your chocolate chips halfway through the wet-dry mixing process to avoid over-mixing your dough. Excess kneading causes more gluten formation which can produce tough cookies.

Incorporating chocolate into dough that has been heated to 80 degrees F will allow some chocolate to melt, leaving chocolate trails in the cookie, while still leaving chunks intact to melt into pools of liquid delicious.

That $25 bottle of Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract is indistinguishable from imitation vanilla flavor.

Baking your cookies at a lower temperature will result in more spreading and more even cooking. But don't go too low, otherwise there will be not textural contrast between the edges and the center.

Leaving dough in the refrigerator overnight will allow time for flour proteins and starches to breakdown and rearrange so that your cookies have a richer flavor and more better browning.

Cookies rested for four hours and two days before baking

HAPPY HOLIDAY BAKING!

All photos: Serious Eats

FOODucation: Cookie Chemistry!

Hey everyone,

The weekend is drawing to a close and finals begin tomorrow! I hope you've all been making some great progress studying, and if not, there's still time! Though this is probably covered in Food Chemistry, here's some interesting information on the chemistry of baking cookies!

I've included a video that's more informative than this post and it includes some cool animation! If you don't have the time to watch the video or you don't want to be tempted with yet another holiday sweet treat, I've summarized a few key points about the video!

 

• The egg is what holds the batter together during the cooking process to prevent it from expanding into neighboring cookies (though that just means a larger cookie if it does!). As the temperature increases, proteins in the egg(s) denature becoming tangled to create a solid network providing structure to the cookie
• At 212 F the water in the dough becomes steam and is part of the reason why the cookies rise
• Baking soda/powder break down carbon to produce carbon dioxide to puff up the cookie by leaving holes making it lighter
• Caramelization! Sugars break down to become a nice brown, fragrant liquid full of taste and aroma!
• Maillard reaction! Involves sugars, egg protein and flour to produce that toasty flavor and nice brown color (mmmmm delicious!)

Want more info? Here are some tips to alter your cookie (more chemistry is given in the article/video)

• Melted butter in raw dough makes the cookie flatter, wider and more chewy
• Cold butter chunks in dough makes the cookie lighter and more fluffy
• Baking powder in place of baking soda makes the cookie more fluffy
• Dark sugars increase the cookie flavor and aroma

Here's the full article:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/03/248347009/cookie-baking-chemistry-how-to-engineer-your-perfect-sweet-treat

Best of luck this week!

- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Calories Influence Eating Habits

Hey everyone,

Thanksgiving is next week and it typically signifies the start of the holiday season! I can't speak for anyone else but this is also the time I indulge in the over abundance of available food. No shame.

A study done in Yale showed that the caloric value of a food item affects eating behavior independently of how much the food itself is enjoyed! Our brain associates flavors with a caloric value and over time we have a preference for this flavor due to "flavor-nutrient conditioning" versus the actual flavor itself. Test subjects were given flavored beverages deficient in calories. After a set period, unflavored calories were added to the beverages. At the end of the taste test, the researchers observed an increased rating for flavors containing the added calories. 

Additional experiments completed found that the metabolic response to the consumption of glucose controlled responses involved with cues that signal calories. Maybe that is why we "love" food that is "bad" for us, because these items typically are overloaded with calories.

Here is the original post:

http://www.futurity.org/its-the-calories-not-flavor-youre-craving/

Here is the full published research article:

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0960982213004090/1-s2.0-S0960982213004090-main.pdf?_tid=de343814-5147-11e3-8fba-00000aacb35e&acdnat=1384885666_3983fc233faaaf1e290f935372098790

Enjoy!

- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: More Pork, Hold the Antibiotics

Hey everyone,

It's November! Today's article is about pigs and antibiotics! As you may know, one of the problems we are facing with foodborne illness is the antibiotic resistance the bacteria exhibit. This is largely due to the use of antibiotics in farms. What you may not know is that feeding animals small amounts of antibiotics actually correlated with increased growth rate which is part of the reason they were used in the first place!

Steve Dritz, a specialist in swine nutrition at Kansas State University, explains that 60 years ago there was a a trend between increased growth rate of animals and the consumption of antibiotics. Observed effects showed 12-15% increased growth with antibiotics with the added benefit of requiring less feed in order to reach full weight! Over time, additional studies performed observed similar growth-promotion with the introduction of antibiotics.

Dritz says that in the 1990s, pork production changed dramatically. Instead of pigs being born and raised in the same barn or barns within a close location,  pigs were now born in one location and moved to a new site. In previous years, pigs would develop in areas with a high risk of infections spreading from one generation to the next. The new regulation ensured that the piglets were growing in a clean area free of disease. Groups of pigs brought onto one site are kept together without mixing pigs from other groups. The regulations are so strict that even workers moving between groups must change their boots to prevent any transmission of infectious diseases.

Post implementation of the new farming standards, pigs began to grow at the same rate as seen with antibiotics. Dritz carrried out experiments and found that the effect of antibiotics on growth were no longer as high as in the past. Though it is thought that the reduction of disease and good hygiene are responsible for the increased growth rate, no definitive conclusions have been made. 

What is clear is that pigs can grow just as quickly without antibiotics with the decreased risk of organisms becoming resistant to drugs we may need to treat illnesses. However, change is slow and not all farmers have taken Dritz' advice nor were they all convinced with the evidence presented. Unfortunately it's difficult to fight against a large population's perception, especially one that has been instilled for such a long time.

With time, hopefully change will occur and we can move towards more natural ways of raising animals that are better.

Here's the article from NPR.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/11/04/241603861/why-are-pig-farmers-still-using-growth-promoting-drugs

Thanks for reading!
- Charles Quinto

FOODucation: Foods That Could Kill You

Pop quiz! Of the following, which does not belong? Cherries, Apricots, Plums, Peaches, Cyanide?
If you guessed Cyanide, I'm sorry to say that is incorrect. Actually, they all belong!

Today's post is about educating the lethality of common foods!! AHH!!! Now there's a real Halloween scare! Bon Appetit not only provides great recipes, but they also have some interesting articles, one of them is entitled "8 Foods That Could Kill You (If You Eat Enough of Them)."


Stone Fruits: Cherries, Apricots, Plums, Peaches
Some stone fruit contain cyanogenic compounds. For example, swallowing a cherry pit is not a problem, unless it happens to be broken. A single cherry yields about 0.17g of cyanide per gram of seed which does not seem like much, but 0.1g of hydrogen cyanide is enough to put a 150-lb human down for the count. So I'd advise you take the extra few seconds it takes to spit out the seed instead of swallowing it!


Rice
It would appear there is another hit against sushi. Brown rice has the highest amounts of arsenic, a toxin that may cause vomiting and abdominal pain in large amounts. The good news is that it is quite difficult to consume enough rice in one sitting to produce any harmful effects.....the bad news is that over time, consistent exposure to the toxin increases changes of heart disease and bladder cancer. The FDA states there is 2.6-7.2 micrograms of inorganic arsenic in one serving of rice and it takes about 50g of arsenic to cause death in a 150-lb individual. So unless you intend to consume 1800 cups of rice in a single evening, I wouldn't worry about it too much.


Rhubarb
Pie anyone? The leaves of this plant contains oxalic acid, a chemical found in bleach and anti-rust products! Although eating the leaves can causing burning sensations, and cooking doesn't get rid of the chemical, the good news is that it would take a 130-lb person to eat 10lbs of the leaves to show symptoms of poisoning.


Potatoes
Not the french fries!!! Green potatoes contain concentrated amounts of solanine, a natural pesticide. Poisoning leads to vomiting, diarrhea and even cardiac arrest. To show symptoms it would take a 100-lb adult to consume a full pound of completely green potatoes.


Apples and Pears
Cyanide, revisited! Dun dun dun! Yet again the seeds are the culprit behind potential cyanide poisoning. Apple seeds contain about 700mg of hydrogen cyanide per kg translating into about a 1/4 lb of seeds or 25 apple cores in one sitting....I guess this wouldn't keep the doctor away..

All photos and information were taken from this article:
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/slideshow/foods-that-can-kill-you/?slide=1

Stay healthy and safe everyone!
- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Food Day

Hey everyone!

October 24th is Food Day! What is food day? "It's a nationwide celebration and movement for healthy, affordable and sustainable food." The aim of Food Day is to bring awareness to consumers and promote a better diet.

Want to take part? Go to the Agyros Forum for some great events!
Health Fair 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Come talk to local farmers, Sodexo and even students in the food product development class!
You may even get the chance to taste some new products!
Cooking Demo (FREE FOOD!) 1pm - 2pm
Hosted by Chef James Douglas!

Learn more about Food Day because there's so much more than I can fit in this blog post!
There's a link below to find all the information about it!

There is also a Food Literacy Quiz that has some interesting facts such as:
- Adding water to plants is still considered damaging to the ecosystem because it is non-rain water and therefore not a natural event!
- It takes about 3 gal of water to produce one serving of lettuce versus 500 gal to produce one serving of a typical hamburger
- Americans waste 40% of the U.S. food supply, or about 20lbs of food per person per month!
- Honeybees are responsible for pollinating about 1/3 of the entire food supply in the U.S.
- For every $1 spent on food, only about 11 cents ends up going back to the farmer
- 95% of the world's total oyster consumption is sourced from sustainable farming operations

Lastly, Food Day is partnering with Rouxbe Online Cooking School so they're allowing supporters and participants with a FREE 30-day pass to the online cooking school! So if you're interested you MUST SIGN UP ON FOOD DAY! http://www.foodday.org/unleash_your_inner_cook_on_food_day_blog

Learn about Food Day at:
http://www.foodday.org/

- Charles Quinto

FOODucation: Scratch and Sniff Wine Guide

Hey everyone!

Have you ever wanted to improve your knowledge about wine? Well now you can with this scratch and sniff guide book! Richard Betts has put together a short illustrated guide that is catered towards any individual interested in wine. He increases the accessibility of the information by simplifying concepts and language. So dive right in, scratch and sniff to your hearts content to smell the aroma of various fruits and odors!

Here's a link to the original article:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/17/236160686/scratch-n-sniff-your-way-to-wine-expertise-or-at-least-more-fun

And another in case you're interested in purchasing it, it's only $11.99!

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Scratch-Sniff-Becoming-Expert/dp/0544005031

Have a great week!

- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Peanut Butter & Alzheimer's Disease

Hey Everyone,

Fall is definitely here if you couldn't tell from the chilly temperatures and the pumpkin themed flavors and aromas everywhere! I personally love the smell of the traditional pumpkin spices used - the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger...all of it! Speaking of scents, did you know that patients with Alzheimer's have an altered sense of smell with their left nostril being significantly more impaired than the right!?

It turns out that the ability to smell is one of the first sense affected over the course of cognitive decline due to its association with the first cranial nerve. The University of Florida has been studying smell sensitivity using peanut butter! Generally, our sense of smell uses two distinct sensations: the olfactory sense and the trigeminal sense. Peanut butter was chosen because it is "a pure odorant that is only detected by the olfactory nerve."

Normal clinical diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's take weeks to receive confirmatory results so preliminary tests with immediate results such as the peanut butter test could be beneficial. The article describes the method used to test each individual's ability to smell peanut butter and is posted below. Check it out! It even has a short video.

Here is a link (with a video!) to the University of Florida's Newspage:
http://news.ufl.edu/2013/10/08/alzheimers-test/

Here is a 2nd article link:
http://www.popsci.com/article/science/if-you-can-smell-you-may-not-have-alzheimers?dom=tw&src=SOC

Food for Thought: Tomato + Potato = TomTato!!

Lo and behold, the TomTato!

Hey everyone,

To get you through the midweek grind, I offer you a Frankenplant in celebration of Halloween!! As NPR has pointed out, your fries AND ketchup now come in one complete package!What is awesome about this plant is that it grows potatoes in the soil and above ground are tomatoes that are sweeter than those on the market right now! (At least that's what they say). What's even more exciting is that it is not a genetically modified product!!

A UK company known as Thompson and Morgan has grafted (spliced the stems of both the tomato and potato plant and allowed them to heal) the two crops to grow as one! The director Paul Hansord explained that it's difficult to achieve grafting as the stem needs to be the same thickness, but they managed to pull it off after 15 years! The fruits of their labor is actually, well a fruit! Partly anyway...

Here's a link to a short video made by Tompson and Morgan on the plant, check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Ky1cyTuzk

In addition, here are a couple articles I used to summarize the information for you guys!

http://www.npr.org/2013/09/27/226716504/the-last-word-in-business

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112963057/tomato-potato-grows-on-single-plant-100113/

http://www.onenewspage.us/n/UK/74w2qlfp8/UK-firm-unveils-single-plant-that-grows-tomatoes.htm

Enjoy!

- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Blue Eggs

Around Easter you may see pastel colored eggs or even wacky colored ones! But if you come across blue eggs from chicken breeds from Chile or China guess what? It has a retrovirus!!!!!

Apparently "Araucana, a chicken breed from Chile, and Dongxiang and Lushi chickens in China lay blue eggs." The blue eggshell color is controlled by an autosomal dominant gene SLCO1B3 mapped to a part of chromosome 1. An avian retrovirus EAV-HP is inserted upstream of the gene and in different locations in the various breeds. It is thought that this came about independently of each other, but after its appearance, was selectively bred to continue the production of blue eggs.

Check out the original article posted on a virology blog here:
http://www.virology.ws/2013/09/11/a-retrovirus-makes-chicken-eggshells-blue/

To support it, here is a scientific article:
http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1003183


Have a great week!

- Charles Quinto