Food science education

ABSTRACT: The following laboratory exercise was designed to aid student understanding of the differences between subjective and objective measurements. Students assess the color and texture of different varieties of potato chip (crisps) by means of an intensity rating scale and a rank test and objectively with a colorimeter and texture analyzer. For data analysis, student are instructed to critically determine, using basic statistics, any differences between the subjective and objective measurement techniques. This laboratory exercise is very versatile, and although it is designed as a hands-on exercise in an undergraduate Food Analysis course, it has also been a demonstration for High School students.

The first scientific article ever written that directly lead to the development of the modern curing method with sodium nitrite was an 1891 article by the German scientist, Dr. Ed Polenske. The article has not been generally available for many years until I contacted Google Books at the end on 2016 who assisted in making it available. Written in High German, I had it translated in Cape Town. Here I discuss the 1891 article and reviews key background information.

In this essay, a report of experience, a brief discussion is presented
on the contribution of the social sciences to the study of Nutrition.
It also presents the experience as a teacher in two disciplines
offered for the undergraduate course in Nutrition at a state
public university in Paraná: Food Anthropology and Sociology
Applied to Nutrition. The focus is on the contribution to think,
in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective, the
curricular grade of the course. The positions of some authors
of the social sciences, including those of Sociology and Food
Anthropology, are presented. As an experiment, it is reported
how the subjects have been conducted, the challenges and the
perceived changes in the students regarding the importance of
these contents in the academic formation, and how it is possible to
observe the adoption of this knowledge in the activities of research
and extension by the / of the students of said course. In spite of
its reduced hours (68 hours / year for each subject), it is noticed
that the contents developed in the classroom have contributed
to broaden the view of the students when studying contents that
help them understand the social, cultural and political aspects
of food and nutrition

First book published after a meeting of the Inter-institutional group "Food Sovereignty in Chiapas". From anthropology to food technologies, from insect consumption to GMO, several important topics are examinated. 

Alimentación Sustentable en Chiapas: Hoy y Mañana
Ed: Gabriela Palacios Pola, Adriana Caballero Roque y Trinidad Alemán Santillán and Frédéric Duhart
UNICACH
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico
133 p.
Serie: Colección Montebello
ISBN: 978-607-8410-67-5

A broad range of approaches to learning such as traditional lectures, laboratory
learning, online learning, and active learning are used in higher education settings.
Specifically, in the field of science and technology, laboratory learning is
crucial and a form of active learning. The objective of this study was to examine
the use of these four different learning approaches in a third-year, undergraduate
Food Science and Technology subject to facilitate learning, where previously
only traditional lectures and laboratory learning had been used. Two new
learning approaches, online learning and active learning in class, were incorporated,
replacing two-thirds of the traditional lectures. Student perspectives and
preference to these four learning approaches were recorded using an online survey.
Hands-on laboratory classes were selected by the majority of students as the
most effective way they learned, and also their most preferred learning approach.
Majority of the students also found that the use of an educational technology, a
polling tool contributed to their active learning in class. Finally, the intended
learning outcome of an activity should be carefully considered when applying a
learning approach to facilitate learning.

We have the traditional science areas, which has led to a lack of interest and understanding in science among secondary school students and complaints about the lack of relevance
of science curricula. Then we have food science and technology – versatile, full of fantastically diverse scientific
principles and something students can relate to – after all, everyone eats!  Why not use the science behind food
and its production and manufacture to improve engagement of your students and promote their enthusiasm? A range
of lesson ideas for direct classroom implementation will be presented, covering the spectrum of the basic sciences.

ABSTRACT: The teaching of food engineering (FE) in Mexico and Central and South America began more than 50 years ago, initially with programs related to Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. The first programs clearly denominated as FE emerged during late 1960s and early 1970s; the support of the Organization of American States (OAS) and United Nations (UN) in some cases and the Science and Technology for Development Program (CYTED), launched in the early 1980s, stimulated and strengthened the development of FE. Relevant developments on FE in Latin-America can be traced down to topics such as: evaluation of physicochemical and transport properties, water activity, high and intermediate moisture foods, food drying, modeling and simulation of processes, hurdle technology, minimal processing, and emerging technologies. At present, FE Education in Latin-America interacts and coexists with the new paradigms related to the design of preservation processes and the development of Biotechnology.

ABSTRACT This study was designed to identify the skills and knowledge deemed important for food safety professionals and the degree to which the Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) program at the Univ. of Guelph helps students to develop these skills. The research included 2 phases: interviews were conducted to identify these skill and knowledge items, and the content of the interviews was then used to develop the survey. Individuals in various food safety roles in Canada and stakeholders in the FSQA program were surveyed. Important skill gaps were also identified through survey results. Personal skills were considered more important than technical skills to food safety professionals. Technical and personal skills deemed important by these professionals could be enhanced within the industry and within the food safety and quality assurance program at the Univ. of Guelph.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture recommends use of food thermometers to safely cook small cuts of meat, yet most consumers do not use them. Consumers lack knowledge about how and why to use food thermometers with small cuts of meat. Opportunities exist for family and consumer science classes to provide education about thermometers to adolescents, who may disseminate this information to parents. The most successful nutrition programs are based on behavior-change theories compared with standard interventions. A teaching kit for high school students was developed, based on the Health Belief and Transtheoretical Models, covering the “how's” and “why's” of using food thermometers. After participating in the lessons, students' knowledge about the reasons for using a thermometer and their self-confidence in using thermometers increased. In addition, students were more ready to use a thermometer with small cuts of meat after completing the intervention.

È un peccato che il tema dell’educazione alimentare così importante sia non solo svilito per il fine di inseguire qualche applauso a una convention o qualche titolo sui giornali, ma anche trattato secondo una direttrice che è facile riassumere in “meno libertà, più obblighi”. Il “paternalismo” (soft o hard) che i nostri politici esibiscono ogni qualvolta si parla di educazione alimentare è dannoso sotto più profili: a parte il profilo della dubbia efficacia per il miglioramento della salute individuale, l’esempio delle dichiarazioni del ministro Di Maio – che, comunque, è il ministro dello sviluppo economico, non quello della sanità – dimostra che esso può rappresentare una minaccia anche alla crescita (seria e sostenuta) del paese.

Our moderator, Douglas Stuchel, who serves on the RI Food Policy Council and also is an Associate Professor at Johnson and Wales University, kept the questions engaging and expertly followed the flow where the conversation led.

Interesting points that our panelists made included the importance of recognizing hunger as a “fifth” vital sign for those working in the health care field, the ways in which institutions such as hospitals can align their food activities with their overall missions of improving health, the importance of basic culinary skills to change the way we eat and the state of our health, and difficulties in effecting lifestyle behavior change given our food environment and larger policies that make it difficult to get healthy, affordable food to those who need it the most.



What can we do? Make basic culinary skills accessible to all, offering workshops and volunteering in schools can all make a difference. Those in the health field may have opportunities to screen for food insecurity and help connect those in need with resources available to them, and act as advocates for wider policy change. Institutions and large purchasers have opportunity to “vote” with their dollars and push toward local food purchasing, supporting local farmers and the food economy, and also work toward environmentally sound practices in the way they interact with the food system. For all of us, we should make our voices heard when it comes to demanding that healthy food should be affordable, and making sure we know about the opportunities to make this a reality, from spreading the word about Wholesome Wave’s Bonus Bucks at farmers markets to advocating for more support to farmers.