AMA - Food Scientist Edition

I know way too much about food and the industry.

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warosu.org/ck/thread/S7592164
warosu.org/ck/thread/7533031
twitter.com/SFWRedditVideos

I check peer-reviewed publications a lot, but what news site should I follow for industry-related news and market stuff?

Depends on what you want to know. Outbreaks... look no further than the CDC.

For general stuff, check out the Institute of Food Technologists' newsroom (ift.org/newsroom.aspx) If you join IFT, for which you may or may not qualify, you get their magazine. It is awesome.

What exactly does a food scientist do, so I can ask more precise questions.

We get food from the field to the table. Food safety/sanitation, quality management, product development, processing design, packaging design, you name it.
If you have access, check out the Journal of Food Science (or at least titles of the articles therein) to get a better idea of the science in food science: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1750-3841/issues

I've heard that packaging can greatly effect the way something tastes, like if you have a lemon lime product with those two fruits on the package and you increase the size of the lemon you can get people to think that the product tastes more lemony than before even if you don't change the formula, is that something you've dealt with?

What do you eat and what do you avoid .... Im guessing your health conscious seeing how many new edibles are not in the least known to be sickening in however numerous ways.

Where do you draw the line and limit with what you eat and where would i find resources that guide me to avoid bad food.

Btw how dogshit fucked up is the fda now and how much worse is it going to be under the upcoming administration

Thx user

1. Are there any restaurants that dont fry their fries in the same fryers as all the other stuff they fry and/or fry their fries in beef fat?

2. How likely is it for my food in restaurants to be contaminated by other meat products even if the food isn't meat itself?

3. In your opinion, what do you think is the most cheapest, best quality food you can eat?

4. What food should EVERYONE stay away from no matter how much they like it?

5. What is your favorite snack?


These are the questions i can think of right now

Is it true that supermarkets relabel the best by dates on meats?

How did you get your job?

I have a fat soluble substance I want to add to some sugary drinks. Any recommendationaations?

Yes! This is a huge part of sensory science and the food industry in general. Marketing, marketing, marketing. Consumers will pretty much believe anything you tell them. :\

I'm a big believer in eating a wide variety of food at all time as the diversity of nutrients taken in on a daily basis is what has allowed our brains to evolve this far. That being said, and this lead me to your next question, there is no such thing as 'bad food'; Get that thought out of your head. Calories are calories. If you eat 3,000 Calories in a day of 'healthy vegan cookies' or some other marketed bullshit, you're still going to get fat. Now obviously, this is cyclical to my previous statement - a wide variety of nutrients is best... so eat everything!

I just did a review of FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act), which was signed in by Obama in 2012. You can bet it's going to make your food more expensive. As far as under the Angry Orange.... Time will tell. He's all about de-regulation, so I'll be interested to see where that leads us. Honestly, I'm moving out of the country in August, sooo.... meh. Have fun, suckers. haha

Are you vegfag?

I don't know who fries what in what - I'm not in fast food. You'll have to ask each restaurant in which you're interested. As far as cross-contamination, as much as I hate to think of it for food safety reasons, probably a lot of it happens.

Cheapest, best quality food? Dried beans/pulses/whole grains (like barely and rice). Dirt cheap and like half the world lives on it on a daily basis.

Sugar is the devil.

I don't snack. Snacking makes you fat.

All of your questions can be easily solved by cu/ck/ing your own food, user. I make basically everything I eat, which is partially why I don't snack. I have like, one dope meal a day. Maybe 1.5 if I have leftovers.

If they do, it's very illegal.

Went to an IFT-certified school for undergrad then just applied to what interested me. At my alma mater, the Food Science program has a 100%, straight-out-of-school job placement rating. More job offers than students, actually. This is due to the shear size of the food industry; it is the largest industry in the world (Yes, even bigger than the drug industry. Not everyone does drugs, but everyone does eat.).

You're going to either need to emulsify it with something like lecithin (egg yolk) or a commercially available emulsifying agent like Tween (polysorbate) or Arabic Gum or weight it with a weighting agent like BHT or Ester gum.

Lots of ways to do it. The right answer really depends upon what your product is.

Is allulose gonna be the next big thing or is it another olestra.

Why is sugar the devil? How does snacking make you fat?

I'm a BS in microbio/biotech (finishing my MS in an informatics-related field). Could I become a food scientist, or does that require a PhD?

Its weed.

Not him, but sugar is the devil because it's calorie dense, but doesn't sate your hunger. A fatty steak might have a lot of calories, but at least it fills you up due to protein and fat content.
Sugar, on the the other hand, is really easy to overconsume. You can drink 2L of soda and come out the other side hungrier than ever. It's bad.

Hahaha let's hope it's not olestra round two, but we'll see. Everything when it comes to sugar is the 'next big thing' because people LOVE sugar - shit's addictive - so time will tell.

user is right. Sugar's calorically-dense yet fails to satiate.

As far as snacking... the same way anything makes you fat; unnecessary calories stored as fat. It's not that complex.

Oh sick! Into what kind of beverage are you putting it? And in what did you decarboxylate the THC?

How do I make sweet yet extremely flavourful jelly made of celery?

I had it in a restaurant with 2 Michelin stars years ago, can't find a good recipe of it anywhere

What foods don't you trust?

But you don't eat sweets to fill up. Hopefully.

What makes the calories in snacking less necessary than eating at any other time? It's like saying dinner makes you fat. Well of course it can.

>What makes the calories in snacking less necessary than eating at any other time?

Snacking, by definition, is unnecessary eating. your daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) should contain all the calories you need for the day. Anything beyond that is just superfluous.

celery stalk puree, sugar syrup, gelatin

Are Canned veggies unhealthy? Those in tin cans with water in.

You could do food safety stuff now, probably. But you can get a master's in it and you would be SUPER set in the industry.

Well you'll need pectin, sugar, and celery. I'd boil the celery slowly for as long as possible in as little water as possible or even use a steam distiller. After that, just make jelly out of the liquid with pectin, keeping in mind that high-methoxy pectin needs a 60% sucrose solution to set.

Wew thanks, will definitely try it out this week

Things that I don't cook. Haha Anything with added sugar. The benefit of being a food scientist is that when I read an ingredient label (which I always do) I know what all of it is and why it's in there. Spoiler alert - it's mostly sugar to get you to buy more of it.

No, but eating them generally leads to excess caloric consumption.... just like snacking does. I'm not saying you can't do it and maintain a healthy weight, I'm just saying the general trend in Fatmerica is that a 'snack' is like 400+ Cal and a 'meal' is upwards of 1000. You just don't need that much food. People don't realize on how little they can survive.

Also is that 60% sucrose on the whole, or just on the pectin
And if so on the last case, how much pectine per 100g celery?

Gelatin won't give you the same texture as pectin. To be a jelly, it technically has to be pectin-based. Gelatin comes from animals; pectin comes from plants.

Please do! Let me know how it turns out. I'd probably blend the solution pre-pectin addition to break down the celery's collenchyma.

Are you sure it matters when you eat? Or how many times you eat?

>No, but
But it doesn't make you fat.

Why are you talking about America?

Nope. They're vegetables and the nutrients in the veggies are still in them/the water, except for those readily broken down by thermal processing, like vitamins A and C. Canned items do, however, generally have quite a bit of sosium, so drink lots of water.

OK. Thanks:)

I extract with butane . But what Im looking for is a fat thats not terrible in a drink to aid in absorption . Im new at this.

I 'm currently in my first year of college at a community college and looking to transfer to to texas a&m after a year for their food science BA, so thanks for the AMA.

1. Is there any entry level books or resources you could recommend for someone who hasn't taken any food science courses yet? I'd like to have a basic understanding before heading into uni courses.

2. Where are all the jobs? Looking at BLS.gov I saw that there's jobs in TX, MI, Cali, and a few other places. What area do you think will be booming by the time I finish college?

3. How much do you get paid/What is your specific job?

Thanks

If you want it to be soluble and not kill you, skip the butane and go for carboxymethyl cellulose.

Dope! Do it! Food science is fun. :)

If I were you, I'd just start browsing IFT's website and go from there. It'll get you in the mindset.

All of the jobs are all over the world because the food industry is all over the world. My alma mater has a 100% out-of-school job placement rating. Pick a food company and apply.

I work in product development. Average starting salary for FS is about $60,000/year. I won't disclose what I make, but the sky is the limit as the food industry had deeeeep pockets. Back to it being the biggest industry in the world.

What's your average day like at work?

Just a home cook but coconut milk is the fad right now; it doesn't interfere with digestion unlike milk for a lot of people and it's has lots of fat

>wake up
>prepare self for awesomeness in store
>cigarettecoffeecoffeecigarette
>head in to lab
>don awesome lab coat (must feel like scientist to do science)
>begin working on project. This could range from trial and error on a new piece of equipment for scale up to sensory tests (literally feeding people things and analyzing how they feel about it)

Honestly an 'average day' ranges a lot, and that's why I love my job. I will say I have a lot more freedom than most. A lot of food scientists are in quality assurance (QA), food safety (read: sanitation), or production floor management (How good is your spanish?). Those tend to be a lot more mundane as QA and safety run samples all day and production floor management is just that - dealing with people/making sure everything runs smoothly. I'm pretty lucky. :)

Wageningen UR boy here

Food Quality / Toxicology with the help of IoT

Oooh - toxicology. Shit, broh. How do you eat anything with that being your emphasis? Do you also only eat things you make? haha I find that food science imparts some interesting eating habits.

Not op but. Gonna have to heat your extract in some way to decarboxylate. Im a fan of boiling because it has less smell. And you dont have to worry about scorching. Then id dissolve in some buttermilk and add it to a glass of chocolate milk when you want some.

I agree, boiling is definitely the way to go for low-maintenance while cooking. Buttermilk is an interesting option as dairy is a natural emulsion. Know what would be GOOD and get you high? Heavy whipping cream (nice high fat content.) with weed in it on LOWLOWLOW heat for like... three hours. Impart a nice, caramelized, cooked flavor in the cream. That'd be good in chocolate milk, hot chocolate, coffee, ice cream, use in desserts, over cereal, you could 'water it down' with normal milk if need be, AND it would get you baked.

When will 3D food printers become mainstream?

Let me just look into my crystal ball aaand....

I don't know. I WOULD guess that it would be some time after the public acceptance of cultured meat, though.

I have someone asking me to make pot soda for him but I'm new at this.
I usually put my pot in savory dishes.

What's your favorite processed food?
What do you think of Michael Pollan? Have you read "Salt Sugar Fat"?

You are in luck as all soda pops are emulsions! The flavors used are generally hydrophobic. The most common way to get the flavor to stay in solution in soda is gum Arabic. You can get it off of amazon cheaply.

And I was thinking to myself ck was more and more disappointing years after years... Awesome thread, OP.

Does 'concern about animal condition' (not a native English speaker here) in marketing trends means vegetarian/vegan as I suspect ?

And for this I wouldn't put the oil you already have into anything else as it will cause more problems (unless the vessel is the aforementioned natural emulsion - dairy). I'd put the oil in the oven on lowish heat for a bit (research time/temperature requirements so you don't burn everything valuable off), mix it with the gum Arabic, then it's ready to go into the soda.

I hope not. In my opinion - and I am concerned about slaughtering conditions - it means everyone needs to get used to eating less meat. People like to go to McDonald's and get a McChicken off the dollar menu, or a burger for the same price. They eat meat EVERY day. No one needs to do that! There's lot of plant protein to be had. If everyone varied their diets a little more they'd be happier and healthier and so would the animals upon which we choose to sustain ourselves.

And thanks. I'm glad you're as amused by it as I am!

Seems to be the meaning for flexitarian, then.

I haven't processed it yet. I'm thinking a vegetable fat plus emulsifier now. Also I need to go buy a toaster oven because neither my over nor my current toaster oven can stay at low enough temp to decarb. I've mostly been forced to make completely medicinal oils so far which my fibromyalgia friend has loved but hasn't helped me much.

Quick soap box - ALL food is processed. If it's in a grocery store, it has been through processing. That being said, I'm sure you mean 'heavily processed' food, in which case mine is sugary breakfast cereals, specifically Cracklin' Oat Bran and Captain Crunch. Yum. Tastes like 'beetus.

I have seen some Micheal Pollan stuff. I love his correlation between the ability to cook and human evolution because it's TRUE. Our ability to ingest a wide variety of nutrients throughout the year (like bananas in Michigan in the winter. WHAT?!) has let our brains develop. This is why the paleo diet is the dumbest thing of which I have ever heard.

I have not read "Salt Sugar Fat", but judging by the summary of it I just read off of Google... yeah. That pretty much sums up the food industry. Cu/ck/ your own food, user.

You're welcome. The last memorable threads to me were the moldy thread with fungus guy and an answer I got about the right amount of salt in foods regarding health and taste. And yours today :)

I wish I could download your knowledge and experience, it would help me transition from chemistry and process engineering to small scale food design and production.

Shit... if you have that background and go into FS.... you could make a LOT of money. Very in-demand.

>moldy thread with fungus guy
pls have a cap of this

Thanks for your answer. I am a vegetarian, yes. Unfortunately, the way my living situation is, I cannot cook for myself. But in the future I would love to prepare meals for myself. What's your favorite meal to prepare?

Not sure if its been asked in this thread already, but what is the healthisest diet?

Are you a college freshman?

My favorite meal to prepare? There really isn't a specific one. I'm a big believer in eating whatever sounds best at the time. For example, I just had some steamed brussles sprouts. But sometimes you need to put a big chunk of pork in the oven for six hours then pull it. Sometimes you need cookies. It's whateves. Everything in moderation.

>tfw too smart to learn about food

There isn't one. Everyone is different. If there's one thing I've learned in food science, it's that the vast array of nutrients available at all times of the year has allowed our brains to evolve to their current state. For this reason, eat as many things as you can, but consume everything in moderation.

Did you go to Penn State?

Is there anything that you refuse to eat due to what you've learned about it in your education/career?

Nope, though my mom wanted me to go there.

You are ignorant and an idiot :)

Quite the opposite; I've learned that everything can have a time/place. Moderation. And the more you cook for yourself, the better.

He's right though. For example, equol production after soy consumption is modulated by the gut microbiome and consequently impacted by diet, with clear differences in Asian and N. American populations. In other words, isoflavones (phytoestrogens) in soy may have a different impact depending on the geographic location, culture, and all the other variables which impact a person's diet.

So yes, it is very complicated.

>Quick soap box - ALL food is processed. If it's in a grocery store, it has been through processing.
This is just being pedantic. You know what the layman means when he says, "processed foods", and it isn't a carrot being picked and washed.

It is nit-picky. But at the same time, ambiguity is why a lot of people think GMO's are evil and food that says 'natural' is better for them.

You think that for all of the variations of human beings on the planet, there is one diet that can be labeled 'healthiest'?

Yes! I went to a lecture on classification of the microbiome as an organ by Dr. EB Chang from U. Chicago in 2013 and it was awesome! The way we digest food is so intricate.

I don't think there is any evidence that GMOs currently on the market and foods with pesticide residues are "better" for human health than non-GMO foods.

Language is about articulate oneself as precisely as possible, but vernacular phrasings develop their own meanings and can be widely accepted e.g.: "processed food" means something to most N. Americans and different things to people in food industries.

Is there anything I can add to sugar free soda syrup to get a mouth feel more like regular soda? It's just so fucking thin without the metric ton of sugar to increase viscosity.

'my cheese went bad' thread:
warosu.org/ck/thread/S7592164

Also, the 'my greens wont ferment', aka 'touch my cooch' thread was a lot of fun:
warosu.org/ck/thread/7533031

One doesn't just ask an INFP to do a boring and repetitive job (or I'm wrong about what food safety is). That said, I'm in the process of teaching myself HACCP.

What readings would you advise on the subjects of microbiome and digestion/nutrition?

>sugar free soda
Enjoy your cancer. Get some stevia-sweetend cola instead.

Where did I specify the sweetener?

It happens to be a stevia based syrup. Point still stands, the syrup gives a thin soda compared to sugar based syrups.

What are some common misconceptions?
Any stuff you would rather un-learn? (Lack of hygiene, other disgusting practices)

It does kind of matter when you eat, especially if you're losing weight. Going into caloric deficit is much easier while you sleep than being hungry while you're awake, so eating right before bed isn't a good idea. As for how many times... it all depends on what you're eating. You can eat constantly if you're eating celery all day. Stop treating this like it's rocket science... it's just expending as many calories as you take in.

It can? I'm talking about America because I'm from America and have experience in this market dealing with these consumers, many of whom DO intake that many calories for a 'snack' and many of whom ARE overweight.

There isn't and I didn't say there was, but there IS a big, undeserved outcry against them. And it's because people are uneducated and the term 'GMO' is ambiguous. All I was commenting on.

Vernacular phrasings can contort the connotation of a word, such as happened here. Just clarifying the denotation.

Hey - some people really like microbiology. I'm just not one of them. If you're doing HACCP, make sure you read up on FSMA.... ugh.

I would do my research, starting by going to scholar.google.com and typing in 'gut microbiome'.

Does rinsing white rice cause any issues? Is the enrichment on white rice actually bad for you like I've heard?

The biggest common misconception, in my opinion, is that you can eat yourself healthy/thin. People grab onto this notion of health and think if they eat more of it, they'll reach their goals. Not how it works. Eat less.
Also that 'Organic' means better. The produce is generally lower quality and like twice as expensive. An organic label is, once again, just selling the IDEA of health.

Nope. I'm happy to have all of the information I do. I'm definitely not an uneducated consumer.

So you're not into microbiology, to each their own ;)

Are you into cultural/sociological aspects of food?

Rinsing rice just removes excess starch from the outside. I seriously doubt it would do anything bad considering you cook it in water anyway.
Enrichment is just adding the nutrients removed when they took out the bran and germ. Might not be super bioavailable but definitely won't cause issues

Hey OP I just wanna say thanks for an awesome thread!!! :) I kinda wish this level of civility was the standard for more of the discourse around here.

Also, are you able to debunk the myth often cited to me that vegetarian/veganism causes more environmental damage through agriculture than the farming of animals does?

If a layman is a little wrong, it could be fine.
If a layman is stupidly wrong, you need to tell him to fuck off in some manner.

Especially since preservation is to process food, and food preservation is part of what allows culture to exist.
Still not a fan of modern quick preservatives