August 2010
6 posts
2 tags
WatchA simple model of an intermolecular bond as the sum of an electrostatic attraction at long ranges and a steric repulsion at a shorter range. The bonds are weak and fairly short range, typically only nearest-neighbor. The changes in the number and type of bonds is critical to understanding how molecules organize themselves against the randomizing effects of entropy.
1 tag
IFT Divisions
The Board of Directors of IFT recently accepted recommendations to change the structure of divisions. (The work of the taskforce I was involved in. IFT members can read the full report here). Members can now (or at least soon) join divisions at any time without paying dues and the divisions will be freer to organize activities that bring value to the membership.
In the past, the majority of...
2 tags
Mixing is fundamental
To understand food (or anything else) as a chemical system we need a pathway between molecular properties and bulk properties we can see, smell touch and see. One of the simplest and most useful ways to explore this problem is to think about why some ingredients will mix with one another and others will not. Sugar will dissolve in water but not in oil. Olive oil will mix with canola oil but not...
An alternative to raw milk (2) →
Follow up article from Food Safety News on how farmers are developing raw milk alternatives for sale direct to consumers (original article, my response). All good practical advice on increasing farm profitability while maintaining consumer safety. I found this quotation particularly interesting (my italics):
Michele Jay-Russell, Food Safety and Security specialist at the Western Institute for...
2 tags
An alternative to raw milk
Food scientists tend to disapprove of raw milk (to put it mildly). We see the risks as real and the benefits small enough to be negligible. Raw milk enthusiasts strongly (to put it mildly) disagree and present alternative data. Normally I would expect that a scientific argument like this would reach some sort of resolution. The opposing sides would agree on ways to compare data and some sort...
"Desecration" of Food
“Cotton-candy flavored Go-gurt” is “the final desecration of yogurt” according to the blog Fooducate. He reviews the ingredients label and nutritional declarations of the product and correctly points out that the product is sweetened with sugar and corn syrup, artificially colored and flavored and concludes the product should be “confined to the snack aisles”.
Go-Gurt contains no more sugar...
