The Science of Food

Mushrooms - A Good Source of Vitamin D

The Problem... Vitamin D Levels Are Too Low In Millions Of US Children, Latest Analysis Confirms.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2009) — Millions of children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 11 may suffer from suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a large nationally representative study published in the November issue of Pediatrics, accompanied by an editorial.[MORE]

A Solution... Light-zapped mushrooms filled with vitamin D - Bringing 'shrooms out of the dark packs them with sunshine nutrient 

Mushrooms may soon emerge from the dark as an unlikely but significant source of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin that helps keep bones strong and fights disease. Researchers found that a single serving of white button mushrooms will contain 869 percent the daily value of vitamin D once exposed to just five minutes of UV light after being harvested.[MORE]

Similar to the way that humans absorb sunlight and convert it to vitamin D, mushrooms contain a plant sterol–ergosterol–that converts to vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Check out the resources below for more information on vitamin D.

The American Mushroom Institute (AMI) has information on Vitamin D and the latest research on increasing the amount in mushrooms here. 

And here's the data from Penn State University...Post-harvest Vitamin D Enrichment of Fresh Mushroom.

The Inside Scoop on Ben & Jerry’s

Yep, the Penn State folklore is true. Ben & Jerry’s got its start at Penn State through a $5 correspondence course on ice cream making. Founder Jerry Greenfield gave the inside scoop on the business during a recent lecture at Penn State Altoona.

After completing the Penn State correspondence course on ice cream making in 1978, Jerry Greenfield and friend Ben Cohen opened Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream Scoop Shop in an old gas station in downtown Burlington, Vt. Two years later, the pair upgraded their digs to an old spool and bobbin mill and began packing their ice cream in pints. Today, Ben & Jerry’s is a producer of specialty ice cream with 64 flavors available in 31 countries. The company now has almost 200 franchised shops. [MORE]

http://www.benjerry.com/

http://creamery.psu.edu/

Penn State Ice Cream Short Course   

Trans Fat: When Zero Isn't Really Zero

NPR Morning Edition, March 26, 2009

Here's a question to challenge your nutrition literacy: How much trans fat is likely in a package of cookies that are labeled as having zero grams per serving?

"I would say zero!" said Joanna Robinson, of Washington, D.C., who was grocery shopping this week during her lunch break. "I'd trust the label."

But other shoppers were more skeptical. "More than zero," said Guy Powell.

How To Spot Trans Fat

The way to know if a packaged food contains trans fat is to scan the ingredient label for oils labeled as "partially hydrogenated."

Food manufacturers have relied on hydrogenated oils to add shelf life to products and also to make ingredients stick together better. The process of adding hydrogen molecules to vegetable oils makes them thicker [MORE]

Audio version [Listen Now]

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils and Trans Fatty Acids
Prepared by J. Lynne Brown, Penn State professor of food science.

Other Penn State Food Science Department health and wellness fact sheets.

Chocolate As Health Food?

(CBS/AP) It is every chocolate lover's wish that their favorite indulgence could somehow be healthy for them. Now, chocolate makers claim they have granted that wish [MORE].

Studies of the effect of cocoa consumption on hypertension and cardiovascular mortality confirm the health benefits of chocolate [MORE]

Interested in how chocolate is made? For a thorough review, check out madehow.com or visit the Exploratorium Museum of San Francisco web site for a multimedia tour of the world of chocolate web site which has a more visual presentation.

Those interested in the latest research on chocolate and confections should visit the Penn State Food Science Department's Cocoa, Chocolate, and Confectionary Research Group web site.

Scientific Proof That Ice Cream Makes You Happy!

At last!  we have an answer to that elusive question...Does ice cream make people happy?  Neuroscientists at the Institute of Psychiatry in London scanned the brains of people eating vanilla ice cream. They found an immediate effect on parts of the brain known to activate when people enjoy themselves; these include the orbitofrontal cortex, the "processing" area at the front of the brain [MORE].

Learn more about the science and technololgy of ice cream making from the Unversity of Guelph here.

And while we're on the subject, visit the Penn State Creamery web site for more reasons why everyone loves ice cream.

Probing Question: How do microwaves cook food?

Think about it -- most people don't go through an entire day without using a microwave oven. But how does it work? What actually happens when a person "nukes" yesterday's pizza or pops a bag of popcorn in the microwave? And does the term "nuking" mean there's really radiation inside that box?
Acording to Penn State professor Swamy Anantheswaran, microwaves do most of their work on the water in food. "Water molecules constitute what are known as 'dipoles. A dipole is sort of like a bar magnet, with a positive pole and a negative pole. The oven's electromagnetic field oscillates as it passes through the water molecules in the food, changing the polarity of the field and causing the dipole/water molecules to flip themselves in order to be aligned with the new polarity." Heat is created by the resulting friction of the water molecules reversing direction millions of times a second [MORE].

Click here for interactive demonstration of how microwaves increase the energy of water molecules.

And check out Wikipedia's overview of the science and techology of microwave cooking.

New Method Shows Mushrooms A Top Source For One Antioxidant

Using a new, more sensitive-testing approach they developed for fungi, Penn State food scientists in Professor Robert Beelman's laboratory have found that mushrooms are a better natural source of the antioxidant ergothioneine than either of the two dietary sources previously believed to be best.

Joy Dubost, doctoral candidate in food science, who conducted the study, says, "Numerous studies have shown that consuming fruits and vegetables which are high in antioxidants may reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Ergothioneine, a unique metabolite produced by fungi, has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties and to provide cellular protection within the human body." Joy Dubost, doctoral candidate in food science, who conducted the study, says, "Numerous studies have shown that consuming fruits and vegetables which are high in antioxidants may reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Ergothioneine, a unique metabolite produced by fungi, has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties and to provide cellular protection within the human body." [MORE]

Food Science study group tours Costa Rica (March 6-13, 2005)

Over this year's Spring Break, several Penn State Food Science undergrads took advantage of a unique opportunity to study food production and processing centers in Costa Rica.  Seventeen Food Science and Agricultural Economics students toured a coffee plantation and roasting facility, a fruit and vegetable processing operation, a major dairy processing company, and a pineapple freezing operation.  American students also got a chance to meet and interact with their counterparts within the Unversity of Costa Rica Department of Food Technology.  After an action packed week of science and technology, the crew spent 2 days of rest and relaxation at the scenic Punta Leona resort on the Costa Rica Pacific coast.  The students will describe their visit in a special seminar in the near future.  Date and location will be announced on the Costa Rica Tour Web Page.

Congratulations, Supratim!

Supratim Ghosh, graduate student in food science, was recently selected as an “honored student” by the American Oil Chemists’ Society.  The Honored Student Award recognizes graduate students at any institution of higher learning, in any area of science dealing with fats and lipids, who are doing research toward an advanced degree and who are interested in the areas of science and technology.  The winners receive financial support to attend the society’s annual meeting and are required to present a technical paper as part of the technical program. Ghosh, who is jointly advised by Devin Peterson and John Coupland, will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, in May to present his research.