For reasons we will discuss in class, food recalls are now a very common occurrence. As mentioned earlier during the allergens unit, most food recalls are for undeclared allergens (e.g., when soy or milk or wheat or other allergenic ingredients) gets inadvertently added to a food. While these can be …
For real
During the next lecture, I will describe another way to correct a dysbiotic gut microbiome. It’s a rather unconventional medical practice now being used to treat antibiotic-resistant Clostridioides difficile infections. This organism, called “C. diff” in the popular press, causes a truly miserable disease. Patients who have this organism in their …
The $180 gut microbiome
We will start a new unit this week – on probiotics and prebiotics. But the larger context is really about gut health, and the microbes that reside in your intestinal tract. We’ll be considering questions like how they get there, their role in various diseases, and how to shift the …
Regenerative Agriculture
As noted in class, nearly every major food company has developed sustainability programs. Of course, for most of these companies, such programs are in their best interests. By saving resources, reducing waste, and using less energy, they not only enhance the environment and their communities, they also save money. Now …
Global warming and Prof’s nightmare
As we will discuss in class, climate change is already affecting important agricultural products. Whether its drought or warming or sunlight hours, these changes can have profound effects on crops as well as in animal agriculture. Unfortunately, several of these products are very dear to me, personally. Among the products …
Communicating food science on the Big Screen
When I was in college, I don’t think I ever saw a movie about food (and I saw a lot of movies). But films about foods have become increasingly popular in the past 20 or so years. Perhaps this is because food itself has somehow become a worthy subject both …
Understanding food science
As we will discuss in class, ensuring that students, from K-12 to college, are science-literate is now recognized as one of the more important missions of our schools and universities. Given all the issues we’ve discussed this semester, a list that includes organic foods, GMOs, food safety, obesity, climate change, …
The western food industry in the developing world
We have been discussing how the food industry can play an important role in addressing the world hunger problem. Food scientists certainly know how to preserve foods and reduce spoilage and waste. Food scientists know how to develop pasteurization and other technologies to make sure foods and beverages are safe. …
Our sorry state of obesity
As we will hear in class, every year, the CDC releases obesity data that gets included in a report called the “State of Obesity”. The most recent report was released in September 2022. The news is nearly all bad. For example, over 42% of U.S. adults are now considered obese. …
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