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

Latest Food Products and News: March-April

Mango or even green tea flavored Oreo ???? 

Kraft Foods - Corporate are in the step for localizing Oreo to suit the global taste!

Whether it’s green tea Oreos in China, a chocolate and peanut variety in Indonesia, or banana and dulce de leche Oreos in Argentina, a lot rides on Kraft’s efforts to develop alternatives to the iconic cookie-and-cream combination. The 100-year-old sandwich cookie, a $2 billion brand, is going global in a big way (More from the Business week)

HERSHEY'S simple Pleasures to be launched :

 Cream-filled chocolates that have 30% less fat than other milk chocolates. More from Adage 

Edible Packages:

These are dissolvable-packaging for Oatmeal, Cocoa... from MonoSol. Might be edible, sustainable but are they efficient in reducing wastes?

Brewed Cocoa!

Coffee for Chocoholics: Roasted & ground cocoa beans that can be brewed just like coffee! Making our hearts happier :)

PEPISCO and Almarai Joint Ventures: 

المراعي - Almarai raises stakes in PepsiCo joint venture. I wonder which company is benefiting the other? what do you say? Business Source: 

Toshiba's Supermarket Non barcode Scanner

In the latest food News, #Toshiba developed a Supermarket Scanner that can recognize food without the need for Barcodes! How about that? Read more from Forbes : 

Planter's new packaging: less material, made of 100 %recyclable, BPA-free plastic==> requires 25% fewer trucks for transportation than the old jars!! Great environment initiative ! Source: Environment Leader 

PEPSI NEXT! 

Pepsi Next : a cola that has 60 calories & natural sugar. This will be the largest product launched since years by PepsiCo. ! Getting healthwise finally! Article: Portland Press Herald

Latest Food Products :February Issue

2012 seems to be on fire for the latest introduction of food products, here is a list I collected of the top news of the Food and Beverage Industry , lead by the most renowned  world brands : Nestle, Pepsico, Kellog's, Mars.....etc
This is getting exciting. I hope more products will be launched, atleast I would love to venture trying them!
Which product do you like from below ?
And  do you think they will succeed?

1. "The Magic of Italian Cappuccino" Nestle's Research and developement team introduced this foam booster for all coffee lovers who would like their coffee to be somehow similar to the coffee they order at Coffee Shops:

 Nestle says that  "Foam Booster granules are tiny particles of carbohydrates and proteins that are full of minute holes. The holes are filled at high pressure with nitrogen gas – which is the main component of air. Nitrogen is trapped in the Foam Booster at about 35 times atmospheric pressure – 15 to 20 times the pressure in car tyres. The nitrogen is not released until it comes in to contact with hot water, lifting the creamer to the surface to form an instant milky foam. The coffee stays below to form the brown base. The result? A perfect cappuccino".

2.  " 7up Ten Just for Men" : Launching of 7Up-10!

The 10-calorie soft drink generated quite a bit of Internet buzz with a USA ad campaign that proclaims it is simply "not for women."

3. " Music's Halo Effect on Icecream!" : Mars has outlined a music-based experiential marketing strategy to revitalise its ice cream brands in a bid to re-connect with consumers, after a period of reduced marketing activity

January News & Announcements

Pearl's Powder blogger  was interviewed by  the Gate's Magazine for the January Issue !

 Thanks  to Lana from L' Armoire De Lana for giving me this opportunity. ( If you love fashion ,you might want to check her  glamorous blog! )

Link to Loulwa Kalach's Interview with the Gate Magazine

Also you might also what to check Paty M from PatyMsNutritionWorld to read her post about the " Social Media Changing Lives"  thank you dinner for all those who participated in the Conference.
The dinner was hosted by Amarress and organized by AUB's Online Collaborative.
(Link to the Post)

Let There Be Light !!....[when we eat]

As  food scientists , we are always taught the importance of light in affecting our senses. Light is a main factor while evaluating food . Thus, when performing sensory evaluation tests , a specific type of light of  specific intensity should be chosen according to the aim of the experiment done on the food product.


For example, if we were testing an " upgraded product" and we wanted to see if consumers can detect the change in taste integrated in it , we evaluate it with the previous version of the product by performing a "Triangle Test". The lights in this test should be dark ( dark red rather than the normal light bulb in homes) to mask any difference in appearance that can affect the panelist's judgement immediately and let them indicate the product as being totally different.


This is an example of how light affects our food experience. Another example is will be an extract from the "Scientific American"  magazine.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An article published in Scientific American ( Mind & Brain section), reviews the effect of darkness and light on our eating habits. The article thoroughly cites a  new scientific study  " Dining in the dark. The importance of visual cues for food consumption and satiety"(Scheibehenne B, et al., 2010).

64 Participants were served food in a dark restaurant .Half of them received supersize portions and thus they ate 36% more food. Participants normally weren't able to  precisely estimate their actual consumption than those who ate the same meal in the light.

Some scientists claim that this reason is because the eye is main detector i.e the eye can accurately evaluate how much the body needs food and how much it can consume and how much it consumed, whereas the stomach would take its time to judge appetite and satiety!

Of corse other scientists refute these findings by claiming that many factors weren't taken in consideration.


Perhaps that  is why they call "Light Food " , when there is light , you will eat less :P

You can find the whole article on this link : 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eating-in-the-dark

Food Price Concerns

Food prices are on the rise daily. Hunger is getting worse day by day. Despite all the technological advancements in the food production systems, there seem to be a missing link in ensuring food security worldwide.
BBC news reported that The United Nations' food agency has called a special meeting of policy makers to discuss the recent rise in global food prices. But where this meeting might lead and what will be the solutions, i think we will just have to wait and see !


Check the article , the link posted below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11177346

I'M MAD AS HELL

BLOW THE WHISTLE ON HUNGER

1 000 000 000 PEOPLE live in chronic hunger and I'M MAD AS HELL

Put pressure on politicians to end hunger. 

Sign the petition and push for change wherever you are:

Click here 

**In the time it takes to watch this video, two children will die of hunger

The First Annual Lebanese Bloggers Convention at AUB

" In coordination with Outlook, AUB's official newspaper, Mind Soup is hosting the first Lebanese Bloggers Convention at AUB on Wednesday May 19th, 2010 at 5:00 PM in AUB West Hall Auditorium A.

During the convention/workshop, Lebanese guest bloggers will introduce the world of blogging to students and encourage them to express their ideas and opinions using personal blogs.

Also on the agenda is discussing the impact of blogging on the freedom of speech in Lebanon and the effect of blogging on the Lebanese society and culture.

Bloggers from all over Lebanon will be sharing their experiences with each other and the audience. We are expecting a variety of bloggers to attend. These include journalists, comic-artists, poets, and students who write in both Arabic and English language.

Everyone is welcome to attend, so invite your friends (even if they are not bloggers). If you are a non-AUB student and would like to attend, please send an email to moudz.mindsoup@gmail.com so that your access to AUB's closed campus can be facilitated!

If you are a blogger and would like to be featured in this convention, please fill in this form: http://www.jotform.com/form/1200341481 after reading the rules below.

=======================
Rules for applying (as guest speaker):
=======================
- You should be a Lebanese blogger or an Arab blogger operating in Lebanon and can attend the blogger convention in AUB (Beirut)
- You should be 18 years of age or older.
- You should own a self-operated blog.
- Your blog should be at least 6-month old (updated on a weekly basis) or 1 year old (updated on a monthly basis).
- The convention is probably going to be in the English language, so you should understand English. However, you can speak in Arabic for your part if you like.