The Illusion and Magic of Food

Catalog description

Have you ever wondered about your food? Why the freshly squeezed orange juice spoils after few hours while the one from the market lasts so much longer without apparent alteration? Why roasted food is so delicious? What is the nutritional value of milk and honey? Why soft drinks are damaging the teeth? What is the Impossible Burger? These and many more questions will be answered in this course, not only by the instructor but also through the student's research and curiosity. This course will introduce chemistry concepts on an as-needed basis, but it will remain at a simple level. We expect to help the student understand what food is made of, its nutritional value, how it is processed to offer longer shelf life, and how elaboration and preservation procedures may affect critical components. The topics will vary depending on the student's motivation in learning about different concepts related to the food industry, from processing to analysis, to packaging, and appearance. We plan to discuss interesting things in every class and finish the course with a broad knowledge of what is on our table and a better criteria to select our food. 3 hrs. lectures per week.