Chemistry of Food and Cooking
"GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY- MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF AROMA COMPOUNDS OF VANILLA"
Reflection
What is the nature of science in relation with your project?
The nature of science is described as the desire to understand our natural world. This understanding comes from investigation and analysis. Then we share it with each other through evidence and explanation. For my project I was looking to discover why the world's most popular flavor, vanilla, is so expensive to grow and why synthetic vanilla is unsatisfactory to a large number of chefs and bakers. This question has been explored by several masters and PHD scholars in the past so finding previous research on the project was fairly easy. However they were most commonly done on one type of vanilla. Type referring to location it was grown. The purpose of my experiment was to compare the aromatic compounds found in two of the most popular types, Madagascar and Mexican vanilla. Madagascar Vanilla is viewed as the most valuable in the world so what really is the difference. Also why are synthetic vanillas not up to par.
The nature of science is us having a desire to learn, understand, and share more. Through my exploration I learned that there are over 250 aromatic compounds present in vanilla and that more than half of those aromatic compounds are not shared between the two vanillas. Synthetic vanilla’s commonly have less than 10 of these aromatic compounds present. This explains why synthetic vanilla is not up to the standard of bakers and chefs. This also explains how vanillas from different locations vary in value. With this information we can make better synthetic vanillas and purchase different types of vanillas based on the flavor profile we are going for.
In what way(s) are cooking and doing science similar and in what way(s) are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar or different?
Cooking and doing science are similar in several ways. One way is by the mixing of substances to create either homo or heterozygous mixtures. Another way is by adding heat to a substance(s) to create a new substance. They are also similar in the fact that by changing the amount of a substance(s) you yield a different product. Finally they are similar in the fact that you need the perfect amount of each substance to get the desired result.
They are different in the fact that in doing science some reactions are thermodynamically favorable meaning once the reaction is started it continues until completed whereas with cooking you have to keep adding heat or continue stirring etc. In science some reactions are reversible where as in cooking you can’t uncook your chicken. Science is used to discover new things where cooking is more commonly just replicating somebody else’s “experiment”.
Scientists and cooks are both similar and different. Scientist are trying to discover new things and put a lot more focus towards learning more compared to looking for a specific result. This means they spend lots of time before their initial experiment researching the topic and hypothesising about what might happen. However in a lot of ways they do a lot of the same thing. There is a certain level of prep that goes into each job, chemical reactions occur to create a different product, and they share what they have made with others.
The nature of science is described as the desire to understand our natural world. This understanding comes from investigation and analysis. Then we share it with each other through evidence and explanation. For my project I was looking to discover why the world's most popular flavor, vanilla, is so expensive to grow and why synthetic vanilla is unsatisfactory to a large number of chefs and bakers. This question has been explored by several masters and PHD scholars in the past so finding previous research on the project was fairly easy. However they were most commonly done on one type of vanilla. Type referring to location it was grown. The purpose of my experiment was to compare the aromatic compounds found in two of the most popular types, Madagascar and Mexican vanilla. Madagascar Vanilla is viewed as the most valuable in the world so what really is the difference. Also why are synthetic vanillas not up to par.
The nature of science is us having a desire to learn, understand, and share more. Through my exploration I learned that there are over 250 aromatic compounds present in vanilla and that more than half of those aromatic compounds are not shared between the two vanillas. Synthetic vanilla’s commonly have less than 10 of these aromatic compounds present. This explains why synthetic vanilla is not up to the standard of bakers and chefs. This also explains how vanillas from different locations vary in value. With this information we can make better synthetic vanillas and purchase different types of vanillas based on the flavor profile we are going for.
In what way(s) are cooking and doing science similar and in what way(s) are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar or different?
Cooking and doing science are similar in several ways. One way is by the mixing of substances to create either homo or heterozygous mixtures. Another way is by adding heat to a substance(s) to create a new substance. They are also similar in the fact that by changing the amount of a substance(s) you yield a different product. Finally they are similar in the fact that you need the perfect amount of each substance to get the desired result.
They are different in the fact that in doing science some reactions are thermodynamically favorable meaning once the reaction is started it continues until completed whereas with cooking you have to keep adding heat or continue stirring etc. In science some reactions are reversible where as in cooking you can’t uncook your chicken. Science is used to discover new things where cooking is more commonly just replicating somebody else’s “experiment”.
Scientists and cooks are both similar and different. Scientist are trying to discover new things and put a lot more focus towards learning more compared to looking for a specific result. This means they spend lots of time before their initial experiment researching the topic and hypothesising about what might happen. However in a lot of ways they do a lot of the same thing. There is a certain level of prep that goes into each job, chemical reactions occur to create a different product, and they share what they have made with others.
Bioplastics
How does the chemical composition and structure of a substance determine its properties with regard to its use, capacity for reuse, and capacity for recycling?
Biodegradation is degradation caused by biological activity, particularly by enzyme action leading to significant changes in the material’s chemical structure. In essence, biodegradable plastics should breakdown cleanly, in a defined time period, to simple molecules found in the environment such as carbon dioxide and water. During this process of biodegradation, the large molecules of the substance are transformed into smaller compounds by enzymes and acids that are naturally produced by microorganisms. Once the molecules are reduced to a suitable size, the substances can be absorbed through the organism cell walls where they are metabolized for energy.
Biodegradation is degradation caused by biological activity, particularly by enzyme action leading to significant changes in the material’s chemical structure. In essence, biodegradable plastics should breakdown cleanly, in a defined time period, to simple molecules found in the environment such as carbon dioxide and water. During this process of biodegradation, the large molecules of the substance are transformed into smaller compounds by enzymes and acids that are naturally produced by microorganisms. Once the molecules are reduced to a suitable size, the substances can be absorbed through the organism cell walls where they are metabolized for energy.
How do the choices we make as consumers (purchasing, use, reuse, recycling, and discarding of materials) impact our local community and environment, and the global community and environment?
Our choices a
Our choices a
What else did you learn through this project?
I learned that Bioplastic is a type of plastic that is made from natural renewable resources like corn starch, vinegar, and glycerin. This type of plastic is biodegradable rather than plastics derived from petroleum and natural gas that have a lifespan of up to 450 years. Bioplastics are not very popular yet, as of 2014 bioplastics represented on 0.2% of the plastic industry. I also grew in my teamwork and communication skills.
I learned that Bioplastic is a type of plastic that is made from natural renewable resources like corn starch, vinegar, and glycerin. This type of plastic is biodegradable rather than plastics derived from petroleum and natural gas that have a lifespan of up to 450 years. Bioplastics are not very popular yet, as of 2014 bioplastics represented on 0.2% of the plastic industry. I also grew in my teamwork and communication skills.
If you were assessing yourself, what grade do you believe you earned?
I believe that I earned an A on this project. Our final product went through critique multiple times and got better and better each time. This showed during the exhibition because guests were engaged with our project and asked personal questions about biodegradation. Guests were able to quickly look at our project and then ask thoughtful questions instead of just a reading a lot of content then getting board and moving to the next exhibit. As well as I was in professional dress and showed up early to make sure that I was ready to present before the start of the exhibition. The only part that I would question if deserves an A is if our project clearly demonstrated our understanding of the two guiding questions. I believe that my group had a good understanding and answer to these two questions however during critique were told to take out the text that answered them because it was too long. However whenever guests asked we were ready with a response.
I believe that I earned an A on this project. Our final product went through critique multiple times and got better and better each time. This showed during the exhibition because guests were engaged with our project and asked personal questions about biodegradation. Guests were able to quickly look at our project and then ask thoughtful questions instead of just a reading a lot of content then getting board and moving to the next exhibit. As well as I was in professional dress and showed up early to make sure that I was ready to present before the start of the exhibition. The only part that I would question if deserves an A is if our project clearly demonstrated our understanding of the two guiding questions. I believe that my group had a good understanding and answer to these two questions however during critique were told to take out the text that answered them because it was too long. However whenever guests asked we were ready with a response.