Food Science Professionals Research Articles

What Is Considered Healthy Eating? An Exploratory Study among College Students of Nutrition and Food Science.

In modern industrialized societies, the focus on healthy eating has increased significantly across multiple sectors, including the media, public policy, expert opinion, and public awareness. The aim of this research was to explore the perceptions of healthy eating and the barriers to adopting a healthy diet among undergraduate students in Human Nutrition and Dietetics (HND) and Food Science and Technology (FST) degrees in Spain. An exploratory and descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a qualitative and quantitative methodology and convenience sampling. Two focus groups and a questionnaire were utilized (300 participants from all academic years completed the survey). Differences in definitions of healthy eating and perceived barriers were found between genders and students at different stages of training (p < 0.05). In their understanding of healthy eating, the students placed importance on balance, variety, moderation, and individual factors. Although students considered it easy to follow a healthy diet, family's eating habits, time availability, and emotional states were found to be the main barriers to the implementation of healthy practices. The obtained data supports the need to critically address perceptions of healthy eating throughout the training of nutrition and food science professionals. The insights obtained on the perceived barriers highlight the importance of considering both individual and environmental factors.

Perceptions of Food among College Students in the Field of Food Science: A Food Sustainability Approach

The complex concept of food sustainability has become crucial in all spheres of life. Dietitians, food scientists, and technologists are in a unique position to promote sustainability in food systems. However, the perceptions of food sustainability among food science professionals and college students are under-researched, particularly in Spain. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze perceptions related to food and to food sustainability in a sample of Human Nutrition and Dietetics (HND) and Food Science and Technology (FST) students in Barcelona (Spain). An exploratory and descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using qualitative and quantitative methodology and convenience sampling. Two focus groups and an online questionnaire were conducted (300 participants completed the survey, 151 from HND and 149 from FST). Although the students expressed concern about food sustainability, their dietary choices were primarily associated with or influenced by taste/pleasure and health/nutrition. The issue of sustainability seemed more internalized by women than men, whereas the generalized conception of a sustainable diet was essentially based on environmental aspects, with socioeconomic dimensions largely overlooked. The concept of sustainability should be promoted among food science students in all its multidimensionality, and actions need to be implemented that bring sustainability closer to students' social practices, which should be incorporated into all university education and that is taught by professors duly trained in the subject.

Combining culinary art with food science

Combining culinary art with food science

Stepping Up to the Plate

The accomplishments of previous award recipients are recognized, and some of the research and outreach activities that lead to this recognition are described. Finally, I pose a challenge for the future for fellow nutrition and food science professionals.

Implementation of Real‐World Experiential Learning in a Food Science Course Using a Food Industry‐Integrated Approach

AbstractSuccess skills have been ranked as the most important core competency for new food science professionals to have by food science graduates and their employers. It is imperative that food science instructors promote active learning in food science courses through experiential learning activities to enhance student success skills such as oral and written communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and team work. The aim of this study was to incorporate “real‐world” experiential learning into a food product development course. Undergraduate students enrolled in a food product development course worked on a semester‐long product development case study developed by the Instructor of the course and the Manager from ACH Food Companies, Inc. The case study was presented to students in the form of a product development competition. Students were placed into groups and given the task to develop a cake mix with specified parameters. At the end of the semester, student groups participated in a case study competition to showcase their product concepts. Each student group gave a PowerPoint presentation and was evaluated using selected criteria. Students rated the course overall as being very good. Students perceived the case study to be beneficial and informative regarding employer (ACH's) expectations. Students recommended that the Instructor minimize restrictions/specifications for product concepts and increase the quantity of course/laboratory meetings per week. This approach will continue to be used and further evaluated as an approach to incorporate active learning and provide food science undergraduates with a sense of employer expectations.

Convenience Sampling for Acceptability and CATA Measurements May Provide Inaccurate Results: A Case Study with Fruit‐Flavored Powdered beverages Tested in Argentina, Spain and U.S.A.

AbstractThe objective of this study was to measure the sensory acceptability and obtain check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) responses for fruit‐flavored powdered juices, with three different consumer segments: children and women who could be considered target populations, and a convenience sample of food‐science‐related consumers (FSRC). The study was conducted with a total of 550 consumers in four cities: Alicante (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Manhattan (U.S.A.) and 9 de Julio (Argentina). The products were reconstituted powdered juices with the following flavors: apple, cherry, grape, grapefruit, orange and pear. Overall, FSRC consumers had the lowest acceptability scores for these products. Regarding CATA results, multiple correspondence analysis showed cherry and grape juices were associated to artificial‐flavor and artificial‐color, with the FSRC respondents being mainly responsible for the use of these descriptors. Pear and orange were considered to have natural‐flavor and good‐color, mainly by children and women. A generalized linear model was used to analyze the effect of “sample,” “city” and “consumer segment” on the percentage of checks given to each descriptor. The “consumer segment” effect was significant for nearly all descriptors, with FSRC checking samples differently to women and children.Practical ApplicationsWhen convenience samples are assembled for food acceptability or CATA studies, the most convenient consumers to recruit often are food science students, staff or, in the case of companies, food science professionals or technicians. The consequences of using these convenience samples are not always considered. The present research is conclusive in showing the significant differences between FSRC and target populations, both in measuring acceptability and in consumer description using the CATA methodology. Development projects based on acceptability results from convenience samples of food scientists, students or technicians could lead to erroneous development directions.

Challenges and prospects of food science and technology education: Nepal's perspective.

Food science and technology education has been running since four decades in Nepal. There is a very slow improvement in the profession. The job opportunities have always been threatened by insiders and outsiders. Academic institutions, government agencies, and food industries themselves are responsible for the quality of food science professionals. Novel and practical methods of teaching should be followed. The government and private organizations should facilitate the recruitment of food technologists. Constant prodding needs to be done for the establishment of a Council with more authority that could monitor all bodies associated with food science professionals.

Effects of Cooking Temperatures on the Physicochemical Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Chicken Stock

As a base for sauces, soups, and cooking liquids for meats, grains, and vegetables, stocks can be integral to the overall quality of restaurant menu items, however, science-based studies on the effects of cooking methods on the physiochemical and sensory properties of stock are lacking. The effects of starting (22 °C, 85 °C, and 99 °C) and cooking temperatures (85 °C and 99 °C) of chicken stock on clarity, color, viscosity, protein content, amino acid content, mineral content, and overall liking were measured. Protein content and viscosity were significantly higher for stocks cooked at 99 °C, but no effect on amino acid content, color, or clarity was observed. Calcium concentration in stocks cooked at 99 °C was significantly (P < 0.0001) lower (9.3 and 10.1 mg/mL, for stocks started at temperatures of 22 and 99 °C, respectively) than stock cooked at 85 °C (16.6 and 17.5 mg/mL for stocks started at temperatures of 22 and 85 °C, respectively). Stocks prepared at 99 °C scored higher on overall liking compared to commercial samples and those cooked at 85 °C (P= 0.0101). These data can be used by culinary scientists and professionals to develop more efficient techniques in the kitchen, and by product developers to optimize the overall quality and acceptance of stock. This work documents the effects of preparation method on the physical and chemical properties, and consumer acceptance of chicken stock. This information can be used by product developers, culinary scientists, and professional chefs to optimize stock-based products. Culinary educators can use this information to provide students with objective evidence-based rationale for the techniques underlying a celebrated culinary tradition. This is also an example of how research can facilitate collaboration between culinary and food science professionals.

Construction of a valid and reliable test to determine knowledge on dietary fat of higher-educated young adults

Objective: The construction of a questionnaire, in the format of a test, to determine knowledge on dietary fat of higher-educated young adults.Design: The topics on dietary fat included were in accordance with those tested in other studies. Forty multiple-choice items were drafted as questions and incomplete statements following the item construction rules. The items were reviewed by nutrition and food science professionals for content- and face-related evidence (n = 4 respectively) and by students representing the study population for face-related evidence (n = 16) of validity. Twenty items were removed as the panel questioned their relevance and replaced with 17 items reviewed by them. The items now largely focused on food sources of fat. These 37 items formed the preliminary test that was administered to two groups of higher-education students expected to differ in nutrition knowledge level. The completed and scored items were statistically analysed to determine which items could be retained for the test. Items meeting the item analysis criteria formed the test. The Mann-Whitney statistic was used to determine the construct-related evidence of validity and the Kuder-Richardson (K-R) 20 formula for the reliability of the test.Results: The 37-item preliminary test was completed by 99 and 87 students respectively forming the knowledgeable and less knowledgeable groups. Eighteen items remained after the statistical item analysis. Eight items did not meet the difficulty and discrimination index criteria respectively, nine the item-to-total correlation criteria and 13 the answer distribution criteria. The 18-item test was found to be reliable (K-R20 = 0.8997), as well as valid, since a significant difference (p < 0.001) in knowledge was found between the groups in the expected direction.Conclusion: The test can be used to compare the knowledge scores of groups and of individuals as it met the reliability coefficient of 0.75 and 0.85 respectively to make such score decisions.

EHPnet: The World of Food Science

Vol. 114, No. 6 EnvironewsOpen AccessEHPnet: The World of Food Science Erin E. Dooley Erin E. Dooley Search for more papers by this author Published:1 June 2006https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.114-a347AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) is a nonprofit network of national food science organizations and is the only global food science and technology group, while the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a U.S. scientific society for food scientists, technologists, and related professionals in industry, academia, and government. These two groups have come together to produce an online magazine, The World of Food Science, located at http://www.worldfoodscience.org/. With The World of Food Science, the IUFoST and the IFT work together to promote the scientific and technical aspects of international food production, distribution, preparation, and marketing, as well as provide current information to all food science professionals and others involved in the industry.The homepage for The World of Food Science provides in-depth Focus and Feature articles collected from a variety of sources, including IUFoST correspondents and food scientists from around the world. Recent articles have covered modern biotechnology in food production, obesity, and how food packaging has evolved to ensure the safety of the food supply. Select articles are available in French and/or Spanish as well as English. Past articles are available by clicking the Archive link at the top of the home-page. The site also includes two Spanish-language sections: the full text of a report titled Biotecnología y Alimentos [“Biotechnology and Food”] and IFT Scientific Status Summaries that have been translated from English to Spanish.At the bottom of the homepage are links to documents and expert reports published by the IFT. Currently featured are annual buyer’s guides for nutraceuticals (foods or food components that provide a medical or health benefit) and food industry services. Visitors will also find links to the expert panel reports Functional Foods: Opportunities and Challenges (“functional foods” are formulated with ingredients believed to impart health benefits) and Emerging Microbiological Food Safety Issues: Implications for Control in the 21st Century. Clicking on the links for the expert reports takes visitors to webpages devoted solely to those respective topics. Available resources include the full text of each expert panel review, one-page topic summaries, related news releases, and lists of frequently asked questions.The homepage also includes a frequently updated collection of news coverage. Clicking on any headline takes the visitor to the Daily News page. A searchable library of past news articles is archived by month. Visitors can also choose from a menu of other news options: national food technology association news, regional reports on food issues, papers directed toward students in the field, international regulatory updates, and policy papers. The Events section has information on upcoming meetings related to food science and technology.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 114, No. 6 June 2006Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 June 2006Published in print1 June 2006 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.

SENSORY COMPARISON OF A SOY ENHANCED CHOCOLATE CANDY AND A REGULAR CHOCOLATE CANDY

Soy has become an option for many consumers due to its contribution to lowering serum cholesterol levels. The objective of this study was to compare the sensory qualities of a soy-enhanced chocolate candy with a regular candy bar. The study required the reformulation of an existing chocolate peanut butter candy bar with five grams of soy protein isolate incorporated into the existing recipe resulting in a more nutritious product containing 21% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium, 16% of the RDA for protein and 24% fewer calories than a regular bar. Based on USDA food label regulations, this candy bar is an excellent source of calcium. The soy-enhanced candy bar(test) was evaluated by 70 employees from Protein Technologies Incorporated (PTI) and Ralston Purina along with the regular (control) candy bar. Results of the sensory testing with the use of one-way variance did not indicate a significant difference between the control product and the test product for any of six categories; liking of appearance, liking of overall flavor, liking of filling flavor, liking of chocolate flavor, liking of texture, amount of chocolate coating, and color of filling. The mean overall liking score was 7.2 for the control and 7.1 for the test. An ANOVA test indicated that the overall likings of the two bars were not found to be significantly different. Food science professionals and food manufacturers need to work cooperatively to develop more nutritious versions of familiar products.