The Chemistry of Candy (from Hershey's Technical Center)

" Sometimes I think that the one thing I love most about being an adult is the right to buy candy whenever and wherever I want." Ryan Gosling

We all have these life moments, when we turn crazy about candy. It is like we want to go back to the time and memory when we were kids, and where we all we had to worry about was our next trip to the store to get some candy! Candy is all about bringing out these childhood memories. The sweet taste and the multi flavors from lemon, to strawberry and chocolate...etc can bring us - adults - some joy in this hectic world!

Apart of their bad health effects ( which I will not be talking about) , candy making is extremely entertaining to learn and know about !
It is a pure science on its own . Each candy has its own recipe and technicality!

I am sharing few knowledge I learned while I was in USA for training few years ago. As part of the training, we visited the technical center of Hershey in Pennsylvania, where we had to learn about the chocolate and candy making process straight from the scientists!

Published in International Journal of Dairy Technology

It is after so much hard work and efforts that I am glad to announce that my third publication, but first original research article, is out published in the International Journal of Dairy Technology.
Titled:

"Characterisation of the sensory properties of whey protein concentrates".

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

Kashkaval Cheese Production in AREC

"Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality" Clifton Paul Fadiman

I have been always fascinated by cheese. Its hundred varieties, hundred of flavors and odors...Its texture , the way it melts , the way it squeezes between our teeth. 

And I always thought what had occurred to our ancestor's mind to get the rennet from the stomach of the calves and put in milk to do cheese. It was a Magical moment.

And truly as one said “I just don't see the point of not eating cheese. I mean, if God didn't want us to eat cheese, would he have let man invent it?” 

Even Charles de Gaulle , president of France after World War 2:" "How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”  

Cheeses might be a mystery indeed. But not if one understands them.

Actually , cheeses with their different varieties are due to different processing methods. This post will be about Kashkaval ( Bulgarian) , which is commonly known in Lebanon as "Kashkawen".
Kashkaval is from the "Pasta Filata " style Cheeses . That is it is  basically like Mozarella, Cheddar cheese, ...etc

First, It was the Romans wanted a kind of cheese that can stretch , and the way they did it was through adding hot water to the cheese curd.

Mr. Samson Atamian* organized the workshop in cooperation with Farmer to Farmer (ftf) NGO and the Nutrition and Food sciences department of  Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and hosted by AREC .  FtF had already invited Mr. Johnathan Metzig** for training other dairy companies . Mr. Atamian was given the chance to invite and host him for one day at the American University of Beirut. 

 The purpose of the workshop was broadening the knowledge of  the food technology graduate students in the field of  cheese making. Thus, to improve their skills and knowledge, inorder to be able to improve the local food industry .