Homemade Muffins

Muffins  started out as a type of small cake, as an alternative to cornbread. Early muffin recipes tend to result in less sweet muffins with far fewer ingredients than their contemporaries. Muffins then became widely regarded as a breakfast food because they were easy to prepare and cooked in a short amount of time.

 

My own Home Made Chocolate orange flavored Muffins Fresh from the oven ! Check Recipe Below

Pearl's Powder Turns 4!

Happy Birthday to my Blog! 

Happy Pearl's Powder Day! 

Pearl's Powder turns 4 now!

I admit I promised that i'd do major graphical design changes to the blog and logo, and I haven't been loyal to this promise. I am putting it on hold.
Time moves so fast indeed!
I cant believe that I started this blog when I was in USA, to write about my Ithaca, NY experience. And then I wrote about the normal things : love, science, famine,peace, war, and music...

Later in 2010,  I  focused my blog mainly on food.
Pearl's Powder was not just  a recipe sharing blog but it was more about experimenting and experiencing food in a different perspective combining memory, psychology(sensory) , and science!

It was a blog to unveil the hottest trends and events in the food and beverage industry, the latest scientific discoveries in the field of food science and technology, as well to untangle all the myths that people think about food , safety, nutrition and eating. 

When people ask me why Pearl's Powder,  I tell them I want to create a culture that appreciates and values food, not just as a necessity but also as a blessing we often disregard and take for granted.
" Appreciate, Moderate, Eat with love. Then thank God and the cook" is my mantra.

Now back to the cliche speech I want to share :P
" Thanks for all my friends, family, fellow bloggers, social media experts, and visitors of this blog for reading, commenting, sharing about Pearl's Powder.  And believe me I really want your opinion to change. Change is what makes us move on and improve!

I want to thank the F&B syndicate and industry in Lebanon for having inviting me for  food events, conferences, restaurants...etc and for trusting me in being part of their valuable events!"
And if there is only one great advise that I would give for all the newbie bloggers out there : "Never Postpone a Blogpost!" Like never! Seriously. Dont put it drafts. Post it.

Even if it werent perfected, didn't have the improved quality pictures, or the better resources to back your ideas up, just write and post it.

If you prepared it, hesitated and kept it in draft, like I do most of the times, it will stay in drafts FOREVER! I have 30 posts in draft!! :S
Now back to celebrating my blog's birthday!
Gifts and Cakes are welcome.
You can also like my Facebook Page or just comment down below!
Or you can welcome my new 6 month old baby blog  ( spirituality) : The Guarded Pearl !

Happy Pearl's Powder Day! 

Statistics on Pearl's Powder:
Number of Unique Visitors: 97,000
Number of Posts: 173
Top Visited Post: Red Velvet Cake Dilemma (3000)
Top Country: USA ( 32,000)

Tea Gschwendner : Ritzy as Its Name!

"Make things happen, explore distant shores, and most of all, drink tea."

With this philosophy,  Albert Gschwendner and his wife Gwendalina turned their dreams of a teashop into a reality in 1978.

And it was this tea shop that I discovered in the middle of a very dull country. Because if there is anything that can bring me joy in Riyadh, is discovering a new cuisine or an exquisite food shop.

Gschwendner was one of them and it is now on my Top list to see and check every time I am in the Kingdom tower doing some shopping.

Gschwendner. Yep, it is German. And I admit that the name is a bit hard to pronounce and actually google later when I wanted to write this post. But this name turned out to be as lavish as the products inside!

The small shop in the kingdom is in the ground floor, and you can see a teapot boiling outside as if greeting you to come inside and explore a new world of Tea leaves. And this is exactly what happened. The teapot was enough to attract me inside and discover this Tea Haven!

Hundreds of Tin drawers with different types of dried  tea leaves from around the world!

And another thing that caught my attention, was a small stand with brochures. There it was the " Book of Tea". I grabbed it. And asked the salesman if I can take it with me. He welcomely acknowledged that and poured some tea for me and my family.

Food Blessed : A CSR in Action

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your

head a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.

12.7% is the average percentage of hungry people in the Arab region.

In Lebanon, the population living under the poverty line reaches 28.6 %. HUGE amounts of food are being thrown away after almost every event. People always feel the urge to take action, to find a solution, to not
throw away untouched food, but most of the cases they just don’t know
where to turn to!!

53 % of consumers are willing to pay extra for dealing with a company who is socially responsible.
Ideas are worthless unless one finds the courage and acts upon them.



3 social activists saw a problem and decided to do something about it. They saw it as an opportunity to make a greater good!


BY aiming at 'feeding the hungry, one meal at a time', this is exactly what the foodblessed team has done..

This is HOW they do it:

The Secret to Enjoying the Perfect Cup of Espresso from Daria Illy

A guest blog post from Darine Sabbagh*

 A few weeks back I had the pleasure of personally meeting Daria Illy, the grand daughter of Francesco Illy, who started Illy Cafe and also invented the first automatic espresso machine for all of us to enjoy. Because Illy want to bring pleasure through their coffee, Daria explained to each of the attendees personally how a great shot of espresso should look like. 

Coffee is an art 

So here are her tips for the perfect cup of espresso and how to drink it:

Saudi HORECA 2012...Not as good as the Lebanese

 

Saudi HORECA  is one of the region's largest trade show for both the hospitality and food and beverage service industry in Saudi Arabia. (For Arabic: Check Alsharq Article http://www.alsharq.net.sa/2012/09/15/488657 للعربي)

International Coffee and Tea Festival-Dubai

 October 30 to November 2, 2012, at the Meydan Grandstand and Convention Centre in Dubai

  Coffee and tea consumption in the Arab world has more than tripled over the last decade with the UAE registering an 85 per cent increase during the last three years alone.

 Last year, the world consumed more than eight million metric tons of coffee -- that's 2.4 percent more than the previous year. According to the latest coffee statistics from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), on a global scale, about 1.4 billion cups of coffee are poured a day.

 Jose Settee, Head of Operations at the ICO said; “It's that new consumers are being turned onto the bean. Even when times are hard, people still drink coffee. And the growth in coffee consumption these days occurs much more in emerging markets, which are bearing up much better under this economic turbulence than in the developed world.”

Vintage Vs Current Food Ads

"If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative." -David Ogilvy

I am always curious to keep tracking of food ads. Yes ads are there for persuasion and selling a product.   They  indicate how much the food and beverage industry have improved in terms of quality, processing and marketing.So ads do represent the science behind the food. At the same time, they definitely say how much a society developed, and changed drastically its mentality regarding Food. 

Ads are always a representation of the current status Que  of the food and eating culture.

When comparing current food product ads with vintage ones, they do say about the cultural shiftsthat have occurred  in terms of  need and demand to different kinds of food, to a different aspect of eating and taking care of one's body.

One proof is that  the century of "western diseases" ( the last 100 years) is hopefully coming to an end with more nutritional awareness spreading.  One can notice this in food ads that were promoting bad food habits, to the current food ads that actually care about health and advertise the "good" ingredients... Though no one can deny that there still remains some ads that can truly disregard one's health....

These vintage ads show how much the advertisements where jeopardizing one's health: Coke for Kids? and Lard as a food for happiness? See them below and compare some to the current ones!

Putting Carbonated Sweet beverages with Milk isnt  a good thing moms!

Canned food is not much consumed as before.. The trend currently is for fresh food!

Another sweetened  carbonated beverage that target kids!

They are happy because they ate Lard!Really??

Some Selected Current ads! 

An ad  for fresh food for babies. "Never frozen"

hmm....Not really healthy.....

An ad that targets the texture/quality of butter! Lovee it!

An ad for organic tomatoes! We def. wouldn't have seen this 50 years ago!

Coke changed totally its target markets from kids/moms to teenagers and youth!

 Resources: 

• Amazing Collection of Coca Cola Ads
• Ads of the World: Baby Food
• Vintage Ads of Coca Cola
• Vintaged Food Ads
• Vintage Advertising

New Certification Program for Food Scientists by IFT

IFT Launches New Certification Program for Food Scientists

New Certified Food Scientist Program Formally Recognizes Applied Knowledge and Skills

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) announced the new Certified Food Scientist (CFS) credential – a new way to recognize food scientists.
Through this program, the food science profession will have a formal certification program to recognize the applied scientific knowledge and skills of food scientists.

Objectives:

The CFS credential will:

• Demonstrate the professions’ commitment to safe and quality foods for consumers;
• Promote lifelong learning and complements both academic learning and work experience;
• Provide food scientists with a way to demonstrate their applied professional skills and knowledge through a third party, independent assessment tool;
• Help employers and practitioners identify individuals with certain knowledge and skills;
• Raise the visibility and credibility of the food science profession through a certification program; and
• Build a foundation for ethical standards moving forward that will benefit the entire profession.
  

Requirements for Candidates?

To become a Certified Food Scientist, a food professional must complete an application and meet certain eligibility requirements. These include one of the following:

• MS or Doctorate in food science, food science concentration or global equivalent + 2 years full-time food science experience
• BS in food science, food science concentration or global equivalent + 3 years full-time food science experience
• MS or Doctorate in related science or global equivalent + 4 years full-time food science experience
• BS in related science or global equivalent + 6 years of full-time food science experience

The exam is comprised of 100 multiple choice questions in the following content areas:

• Product Development
• Quality Assurance and Quality Control
• Food Chemistry and Food Analysis
• Regulatory
• Food Microbiology
• Food Safety
• Food Engineering
• Sensory Evaluation and Consumer Testing

The questions are scenario-based items that:

• Present a problem situation.
• Ask the test taker to consider all of the available information in the item.
• Ask the test taker to select a response that is the best based on the intended response to the conditions and the information provided.

To view a sample question, please click here.  Additional sample questions and the exam content outline are in the Candidate Handbook.

Fees

The CFS certification exam will be offered at more than 250 global testing centers. The first testing

opportunity will take place in February of 2013.

For a limited time, food scientists with at least a Bachelor’s of Science Degree (in food science, food science concentration or a related science) and at least 15 years of full-time experience post-bachelor degree are eligible to apply for certification under the One Time Alternative Assessment program. This opportunity is available through January 18, 2013.

For more details on the CFS program, including eligibility, exam fees and how to apply, please visit www.ift.org/certification.

Is it required for Food Scientists in the MENA  region?

The new Certified Food Scientist (CFS) credential is also preferred for everyone residing in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, all middle eastern and GCC countries..etc 

There are centers in each country for doing the test. All details found in the handbook. 

About IFT

For more than 70 years, IFT has existed to advance the science of food. Our nonprofit scientific society—more than 18,000 members from more than 100 countries—brings together food scientists, technologists and related professions from academia, government, and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.

Contact

Institute of Food Technologists

Mindy Weinstein, 312.604.0231

mweinstein@ift.org

Happy Eid عيد مبارك

Blessed Wishes from Pearl's Powder....


May the flavors of this blessed month, be tasted throughout the year...

Homemade Fajita

Fajita is referred to the type of cut meat." Skirt Steak". And Faja refers in spanish as " the belt".

It was recent, in the  late 1970, that this dish appeared in American cuisine. A dish which was labeled as humble and for cowboys, as a dish from throwaway steak cut, made its way to be a menu star dish!

The historical story described  "the cut of meat, the cooking style (directly on a campfire or on a grill), and the Spanish nickname going back as far as the 1930s in the ranch lands of South and West Texas. During cattle roundups, beef were butchered regularly to feed the hands. Throwaway items such as the hide, the head, the entrails, and meat trimmings such as skirt were given to the Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) as part of their pay.

Considering the limited number of skirts per carcass and the fact the meat wasn't available commercially, the fajita tradition remained regional and relatively obscure for many years, probably only familiar to the cowboys, butchers, and their families."

Later it became popular in Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants and eventually introduced in almost all American cuisine restaurants.

In many restaurants, the fajita meat is brought to the table sizzling loudly on a metal platter or skillet, with the tortillas and condiments served on the side.( More on the story Austin Chronicles)...

My love for Fajita , pushed me to try to cook it at home !  It is a very quick and easy dish!

Here is the recipe :

Prepare the Spices as below, you can also add chili if you dont mind the hot taste!

Cutting the boneless chicken (half into small stripes and then sauting it with the spices in a plastic bag. Leave for 2 hours in the fridge:

Cut Assorted Green, Red and Yellow Peppers... the same way as the chicken or meat:

In a pan cook the chicken first , when it becomes cooked enough add the cut peppers and onion. That way they remain firm !

Add the condiments on the side: Avocado sauce and  Sourcream ( as seen below) !

Gaucamole: One avocado, quarter chopped onion, salt, and lemon juice ( to the green color getting dark) . You may also add cilantro.

Fajita in Tortilla Bread! 

Serving: 6 fajita rolls

Bon Apetite!

Pearl's Powder on "Be7ke" Youtube Show.

This Ramadan 2012, Be7ke released its second season!

“Be7ke?” which  is the fi­rst global Ramadan web-series,  features inspirational three-minute episodes that are released online everyday throughout Ramadan.

One episodes was featuring me  to talk about the culture of food that entails that people to  love their food and eat moderately and consciously. As a food expert, I stressed the fact that a whole food system, that protects consumer's health, should be mutually and ethically reinforced: from the farm to the plate.
Watch this 3 min episode. English Subtitles are available when pressing the CC button

My Graduation Piece

Commencement Exercises in 1930 ( ( Tamir Nassar Albums)

This was my last article submitted to AUB's students official newspaper on campus : AUB OUTLOOK, issue 24, Volume 24.
I had been planning to write this weeks before submissions but couldnt. I wrote it in 30 minutes. So it might not be  a good graduation piece but it does reflect my emotions when I graduated as a Master's candidate in Food Technology, my passion and my career.

“Root and Flow”
Loulwa Kalache, Staff Writer

How could you write about a 6 years life experience in 300 words? I would write a whole book about these life shifting events that I have experienced in AUB.

This article is not for people who graduated but for people who still didn’t .Nothing is more beautiful than fighting for your grades, working hard on your projects and never missing classes. Nothing is more memorable than making Jafet your studying area and “over-nighting” on campus benches when Jafet closes. Or maybe just pretend that you are studying and end up doing crazy things with your friends. Indeed, they always say these days won’t come back, but these are the days that will enable other beautiful days to come.

Chemistry Lecture Hall ( Notice no women in the class! Great Improvement 80 years later in the sciences' field
( Tamir Nassar Albums)

 If I would advise those are still in AUB, I’d tell them not to miss their chances in participating in all the wonderful events. So, plant a tree, become an active member of a club that represents you or maybe that doesn’t, have fun in Outdoors, write in Outlook,  volunteer in the commencement exercises and sign up for the yoga classes in Hostler. Remember though don’t make your interests absolute. Twist them to bring winds of change in your life.

West Hall in 1933, Still the same 80 years later!( Tamir Nassar Albums)

Even your goals are not immutable. You will realize that the dreams you will achieve are not actually the ones that you dreamt of or planned for.

I wanted to do my graduate studies in USA but I ended up I spending three  extra  years in AUB for my masters, and I worked in two different departments .If I were in USA, I would not have become so fond of AUB, or Beirut, or even of my own country Lebanon.

AUB taught me how to be lenient, to be open, and at the same time to be determined of the values that I was raised on. AUB didn’t make me lose my identity but rather built it up and allowed me express it freely. It was on this campus that I got inspiration, chose the proper guidance and built my passion list. It was on this campus; I wore my hijab and found peace with God.

American University of Beirut Chapel, now Assembly Hall ( Tamir Nassar Albums)

The world has to know that AUB nurtures our diverse identities to make them blossom beautifully so that the whole world can see them.

“ I root but I flow” is the motto that I will associate to AUB , just like those 100 years aged trees on the campus, they are rooted but are flowing with their current surroundings, events and people. And this how an AUB graduates is “we root, but we flow”.

The Famous Banyan Tree on West Hall (  Tamir Nassar Albums)

 **Tamir Nassar Albums from American University of Beirut  website,  SAAB Medical Library Archives 

The albums contain photographs from anthropological field trips in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan by faculty and staff from the American University of Beirut in the 1920's and 30's. They were collected by Tamir Nassar who participated on the trips and who also added a few personal photographs over the years.

"Barriga llena, corazón contento "

 The Spanish title says : When the belly is full, the heart is happy

None said it better than the spanish! And trying their food was a prove for this!

But, wait, I really didn't go to Spain. But when you can't go to Spain, eat spanish food! Food does convey the culture of a country, the habits of the people and the inside culture!

I had the chance to apply this motto when I was invited to Phoenicia's Hotel Mosaic restaurant for Spanish week last May !

The food I had in Mosaic proved how much Spain is a melting pot, a pot that diffused a dynamic and gastronomic heritage.

Save the Grace

Few days after Ramadan started I read this article by Washington Post about
How Muslims Celebrate the month of Ramadan.  

The first wrong word is " Celebrate". Ramadan is not a month of celebration, it is a month of pious devotion and struggle with one's desires and  curbing one needs.  Ramadan is solely being conveyed merely as a month of diverse "Iftar" food, drinks and scrumptious meals. This might be true in some families. But breaking one's fast should always be done in moderation for one's own  health and for fulfilling the main reason why he is fasting in the first place.

Here is one beautiful comment I saw on the web "Let us also be reminded that when you and I break the fast at sunset, the hungry continue with their fast."But what should be done to those hungry? Here is one cause " Save the Grace" Lebanon , find more about it the interview with  the team : 

Holy Month of Ramadan

Muslims around the world will be fasting for a whole month starting tomorrow July 20, 2012.
( To know more about Ramadan Greetings, Dates and Rules from Huffingtonpost Religion )

From Pearl's Powder , we wish you all a Ramadan Mubarak and may God accept your fasting.

Thy summer food is not eternal

“Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date” William Shakespeare.

Summer blisters with all the amusing activities on the sea, the mountain views, the delicious barbeques, the night camping, and the porch’s reckless meetings….These cheerful moments fleet away quickly. And just like summer’s beauty described by Shakespeare as having a short “lease” date , so does the food during summer. Summer heat affects majorly the food we eat.( esp. in Lebanon where electricity goes out )
 It causes bacteria to grow at a faster rate making food rotten and spoiled. Apart from the high temperatures, another reason behind this is simply not handling the food properly and hygienically. Consequently, the risk of developing diseases from food poisonings increases and our health becomes jeopardized. ( Read more about Food Poisoning ) 

Vigilance is the key when purchasing and preserving food, as well when we are eating out in restaurants.  

Chicory Leaves: "Hendbeh"

                                                                      Guest Post by Food Technologist Francine Francis

Chicory Leaves

General Information on Chicory
Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) also known as “Succory”, “Hendibeh” or “Witloof” is part of the family plant of Asteraceae. This perennial plant is indigenous to South Africa, Europe and Asia but it is now grown, found and consumed worldwide. 

Geek Fest 5.0

Prepare your red carpet outfits and dancing shoes, it's going to be a blast! 

Geekfest 5.0 will bring out all that is geeky in fashion and blend it into the urban tunes of modern Lebanese Bands and Performers. Though geeks would not admit they are into fashion, we do know that there is a certain subcultural attire associated with them and we are about to expose it to the world! 

REGISTER NOW

The Program 

7:30 PM | Registration
Early registration secures spots for special sponsor goodies and Geekfest branded swag. Come early before the good stuff runs out

8:00 PM | Let’s Talk the Talk

• Maya Metni | Le Geek, C’est Chic! How to dress like a Geek? A practical guide | Maya is a visual communication consultant. She gathers her musings & inspirations in her blog www.mayametni.com & @mayametni 
• Toni Yammine | Crowdsourcing Music Videos – Meen the Band | Toni is a Lebanese musician/director. He likes chocolate so much, and knows how to count very well in both Lebanese and English. He also has an RC plane and tweets on @toniyammine.
• Hind Hobeika | Smart/tech clothing and where that’s all heading? | Hind is an engineer, swimmer and a self-tracking geek at its most!
• Beshr Kayyali | Making Arabic Indie Music Popular Sawt.com | Beshr is a true Geek through and through. He has worked on many successful web projects for geeks apart from his day job as a developer.
• Bassam Jalgha | Live Demo How to Build an Audio Synthesizer in 10 minutes Using Open Source Information | Bassam is a maker by heart. Always high on solder fumes, he works with electronics, build robots. He is into the DIY cult and tries to annoyingly spread it among his entourage. Check him out on www.depotbassam.com.
• Loryne Atoui | Fashion for a cause | Loryne is a graphic designer impassioned by a crusade against breast cancer as well as travel and photography. 

9:30 | On the Catwalk!

Everybody knows that Geek is the new sexy! And we’re here to prove it! Our red carpet fashion show will feature: 

• REAL PEOPLE and GEEKS AS MODELS 
• Fashion for fundraising – Bras for a Cause by One Wig Stand 
• Up & Coming Lebanese and Middle Eastern Geeky/Urban fashion Designers stages by Fishy Nation
• An Online Collaborative line designed by our own Joseph Maalouf
• Geeky Tshirts by Maya Zankoul
• Looks from top Lebanese Fashion Bloggers 
• Geeky Tshirts by NOBRAND
• DJing the show is DJ Beats

10:15 | Let the Music Play

This year Geekfest will blaze with music performances from up and coming Lebanese Brands hosted in the cool space of The Angry Monkey including: 

• Alternative Rock Performance by Near Surface
• Special Vocal Performance by Hiba Kadri
• Acoustic Cover Performance by John Nurpetlian
• A Stand Up Comedy Performance by our own Malek Teffaha
• GIVEAWAYS DRAW FROM OUR SPONSORS
• House Music by DJ G.
• Real Party Time featuring a DJ set by Underrated
• AND OTHERS… 

ONGOING - The Art Show 

The Union’s Space in Gemmayze will be turned into an art expo featuring an exhibition on how Music influences art by Sandra Issa.

ONGOING | Food & Drinks (Optional)

Entry to Geekfest and participation in all of its side events is FREE, however, you may choose to reserve a place for dinner or drinks & snacks at two of The Alleyway's locations or have anything on their menus. These deals are made solely for GeekFest Beirut attendees. Reservations are processed here.

• Couqley Dinner Formula for LL 29,000 | [Starter + Main] or [Main + Dessert].
• The Angry Monkey Formula for LL 30,000 | Open 961 Beer with premium snacks on the table (nachos, wings, etc...). Entrance to the venue is 18+

Sunset Sea Dinner at St.Elmo's

St. Elmo's Logo!

"I am the sea. In my depths all treasures dwell. Have they asked the divers about my pearls?" the Egyptian poet Muhammad Hafiz Ibrahim.
I have always had a special fond to the sea, its mystery, and its untold stories..All because my name is pearl.  I had built a myth inside my head since I was a little girl that I was indeed from the sea. Lunatic? Maybe. but such mystical illusions do make the best stories later.Yes, I believed the sea was my  home, and to it I will return someday. Everything that reminds me of the sea makes me live this myth again..

This time it was not the sea itself, nor a ship, nor Corrine's Bailey Rae " The Sea" song, neither the Little mermaid movie, neither the famous sea navigator Jacque Costeau nor a small shell I picked up from the shore. This time the sea experience was from a whole restaurant that embraced the concept of the SEA from the floor to the ceiling , from the plate to the cup!

Zaytouna Bay

Sushi Safety In Beirut

( Guest post by Food Scientist Rawan Hammoud) 

One of the sushi samples taken for testing

Sushi Popularity in Lebanon:

Sushi as a food product has grown and evolved to create an entire industry of Sushi bars which has found its way to the Lebanese market. Sushi was first introduced in Lebanon upon the opening of “Le Sushi Bar” in 1997. A decade ago there were only two Sushi bars in Lebanon, but now this number has had a fifteen fold increase amounting to about 35 Sushi restaurants in Beirut.  The manager of “Le Sushi Bar” considered the consumption of raw fish not unusual in Lebanon. He maintained that in some areas the consumption of raw meat is normal like in the Lebanese staple “Kebbeh Nayye”.

The Sweet Paradox: Natural or Artificial Sweetners?

Sugar in Drinks!

A girl in a restaurant orders a burger with fries, and then orders a diet coke. “Do the calories really matter when you are eating all this food?” her friends around her claim. Yes it does. One can of regular coke contain, more or less, 38 grams of sugar.

 Scientists have all agreed about the malicious effect of consuming lots of sugar. Unfortunately, sugar is embeded in almost all of all food . Sugar plays a major role in the production of thousands of food products from cured meats through preserves and frozen fruits to confections.

Reading list for this week!

I will be collecting interesting and important articles about food science and nutrition.Though  I usually share them on my facebook page but it gets overwhelming for my fans who are on facebook for fun.
So, if you are seeking abit of education, you may check my blog frequently ( I will be launching the Reading list section soon  )

• PRESERVED FOOD

Ever wondered why canned food tasted bad? And why it would never be like fresh food? What do you know about Autoclaves and retort machines in food preservation? Here is an article that simply explains why preserved foods' flavors are not that delicious>

• Better Nutrition

In Copenhagen Consensus 2012, researchers and Nobel laureates were looking at the smartest solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. A research paper released on hunger and undernutrition by researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute, proposed that decision-makers prioritize micronutrient interventions. A better nutrition would help the world's biggest problems: Hunger and malnutrition. Read more here How Better Nutrition for Children Helps Solve Two of the World’s Biggest Problems

Picture from Slate.com

• The Organic Dispute

  Why do people still dispute about organic and the "not-organic" farming? What is the major difference  between both? And why do media have discrepancies when it comes to this subject?Here is an interesting read by  the Atlantic about the War between the organic and conventional farming

• Coco Cola Ethics

  After the PR crisis of Coco Cola that unethically treated migrant workers for picking up the oranges in southern Italy, some have demanded that their sponsorship for the London Olympics should be halted.  Read more about this argument from the Ecologist :Should Coca Cola be allowed to sponsor the London Olympics ???

All pictures were attributed to their owners and were searched for from creativecommons.org