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Facebook!The School of Nutrition and Food Sciences aims for excellence with comprehensive, integrated, and 21st century education, scholarship, and outreach. Food science professionals train students in the quality, processing, and safety of foods for the multibillion dollar food industry. Nutrition professionals provide training in nutrition science, community nutrition, and clinical nutrition with a focus on improving health and well-being of all citizens and populations.
Scholarly and educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate level integrate the basic and applied sciences with outreach.
Our Mission
The School of Nutrition and Food Sciences fulfills the land grant mission through excellence in teaching, research, and outreach, improving the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities in Louisiana and globally.
Building A Better BBQ Sauce
Geaux Rouge and Whole Foods Market presented “Building A Better BBQ Sauce” at the LSU AgCenter Sensory Services Lab on August 31, 2017.
The lab is working to develop different and better tasting sauces. Graduate student Jose Alonso has been researching a healthier alternative to traditional barbecue sauce.
“Tonight is a follow-up on the sodium reduction approach that we have been working on in the sensory lab,” Alonso said. “The overall idea is to make food products healthier and how science and technology is put into work in the goal to achieve that. My barbecue sauce has less than one-tenth of the sodium content of the average barbecue sauce on the market. Taste-wise, you can tell there is a difference, but it is within acceptable limits.”
Some others who helped Alonso host the event were attorney and owner of Geaux Rouge Franz Borghardt, Professor Witoon Prinyawiwatkul and Sensory Lab Manager Ashley Gutierrez.
“The overall objective is to promote healthy foods while having fun,” Alonso said.
Guests divided into groups to compete to create the best barbecue sauce. They were given Jose’s barbecue sauce as a base and added various ingredients to alter it to their tastes. Among the ingredients were garlic, onions, bacon bits, brown sugar and much more, but no salt.
After 20 minutes, each group evaluated the other's sauces. Guests agreed that making barbecue sauce without salt was difficult, but when tasting the sauces, they said they did not taste like they lacked salt.
“On social media, prior to this event, I know a lot of barbecue enthusiasts and I asked them, ‘what is the most essential ingredient in barbecue sauce?’ The most common answer was vinegar,” Borghardt said. “Nobody said salt.”
The Sensory Services Lab has an electronic tongue that can measure sweetness, saltiness and bitterness, similar to a human tongue. They also have sensory testing booths where researchers can conduct tests with very little communication to avoid bias. The lab also has color lighting to mask color differences between samples to enhance focus on the flavor, Gutierrez said.
During the first week of September, the lab conducted tests involving peanuts and pecans. Consumers who participate in various taste tests are called Tiger Tasters. Anyone 18 years or older can sign up to be a Tiger Taster with the lab, Gutierrez said.
Additional images are available on our Gallery page
--written by Hailey Auglair, The Daily Reveille, 31 August 2017. [permalink]
NFS Training & Certification
FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-based Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation (referred to as the Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation) is intended to ensure safe manufacturing/processing, packing and holding of food products for human consumption in the United States. The regulation requires that certain activities must be completed by a “preventive controls qualified individual” who has “successfully completed training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls”. This course developed by the FSPCA is the “standardized curriculum” recognized by FDA; successfully completing this course is one way to meet the requirements for a “preventive controls qualified individual.”
Registration is now open. For more information, and a link to registration, go the FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food page.
AFDO Sanitation Control Procedures (SCP) For Fish and Fishery Products
Registration will open soon
The Sanitation Control Procedures (SCP)For Fish and Fishery Products course assists the seafood industry in developing and implementing “Sanitation Control Procedures” as mandated by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Course participants will learn how to draft SSOP's and build monitoring programs for FDA's 8 key sanitary conditions. Participants that attend the standard one-day course will receive a "Certificate of SCP Course Completion” from AFDO
For more information, and a link to the registration, go the AFDO Sanitation Control Procedures (SCP) For Fish and Fishery Products page.
Basic Seafood HACCP Training
Registration will open soon.
Training in Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is mandated for the seafood processors by the U.S. Food and Drug Admin-istration (FDA). Basic HACCP courses teach the principles of HACCP and empower processors to develop HACCP plans specific for each seafood product they handle or produce.
The School of Nutrition and Food Sciences offers a two and a half day basic Seafood HACCP training designed to educate seafood processors, packers, wholesales, importers, harvesters and warehouses about seafood safety. Participants who complete the course receive a certificate issued by AFDO, that fulfills the FDA requirements for seafood HACCP training.
See the Basic Seafood HACCP Training page for more information.
News
The table and beyond - LSU AgCenter researchers studying use of crawfish as more than a meal.
Crawfish might make for more than just a good meal. Tail meat is the main reason farmers raise crawfish, but LSU AgCenter researcher, and School of Nutrition and Food Sciences Professor, Subramaniam Sathivel sees benefits in the entire crustacean.
He and other researchers are working on ways to add value to the Louisiana crawfish crop: potentially as minced meat; a source of chemicals for anti-aging products; and omega-3 oil for its potential health benefits or as a red food coloring.
Understanding the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA, pronounced fizz-ma) will affect farmers and consumers alike. From farm to plate, there are all manner of rules that will change the way raw food is handled. Dr. Achyut Adhikari, assistant professor at the LSU AgCenter's School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, told farmers at the Farm Bureau Federation convention there are seven primary areas they will be affected, as well as why consumers should pay attention. See what Dr. Adhikari has to say in this video interview.
The LSU AgCenter New Faculty Profile: Wenqing Xu Finds Fulfillment in Food Safety. With a three-way appointment at the AgCenter and College of Agriculture – Dr. Xu does extension work, conducts research, and teaches in the classroom. Her first priority when joining the AgCenter was to identify food safety needs in the state and work with agents and educators to create a food safety culture. Read more about Dr. Xu's passion for food-saftey issues and her reasearh interests that can help protect consumers in all walks of life from food-borne illness.
Congratulations to Dr. Marlene Janes, professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences. She received the LSU Alumni Faculty Excellence Award.
