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When in June 2008 Otger Campas physicist asked Harvard University (USA) if they would agree to pay the costs of Ferran Adrià if they accept to go to Cambridge to give a talk on science and kitchen, Professor David Weitz answered in the affirmative, but wondered what it would go to college the best chef in the world.
Campas Otger knew the importance of science in the creative work of Ferran Adria and the Foundation Alicia. I thought that would be interested in creating a line of joint scientific research on culinary processes.
But the mind of this physical Catalan hovered a more Machiavellian. The initial motivation was true teaching. Otger explained from his lab at Harvard: “Cooking is something close to everyone, so it is ideal to motivate students and explain concepts of physics as phase transitions, emulsions, electrostatic, polymer structure, elasticity, or heat transfer. And I knew that someone like Adrian can be very inspiring. ”
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The issue of biofuels and incentives to develop this sector in the United States is again in the spotlight and at two levels. Scientists from Oregon State University have recently published an article challenging the regulations on the use of GMOs for perennial crops for biofuel production. In addition, the secretary of the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), today announced a series of measures to promote production of biofuels and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), meanwhile, decided to authorize the use of fuel blends containing up to 15% ethanol (E15).
On the other hand, recent results of midterm elections, dated November 2, 2010, announcing a tidal Tide Republican prove moderately positive for the biofuels industry. While the issue of biofuels and in particular those of the second and third generations are supported bi-partisan, conservative Democrats (Blue Dog Coalition) who are strong advocates of bioenergy have lost many seats compared to the Liberal Democrats.
USDA: new measures to support domestic biofuels
In the framework of the objectives set by the RFS2 (Renewable Fuel Standard), namely production, by 2022, 36 billion gallons of biofuels, including 21 billion from new-generation fuels, the following measures were announced by Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the USDA, 21 October:
1. The final regulations for implementing the CAPA, Biomass Crop Assistance Program would allow producers to develop new crops (ligno-cellulosic). The financial support will reach 75% of the costs of crop establishment and payment of an annual pension to help cover transition costs for existing crops.
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The lamb, which is fed only breast milk of sheep, is a food typical of Castilla y Leon whose quality is backed by a guarantee mark . For this reason, it is a product of this land , the researcher with the Department of Biotechnology and Food Sciences at the University of Burgos Sandra Oses decided to focus their study on this type of meat. of a European project ( Pathogen Combat ) funded under the Sixth Framework Programme of the Union European in which we have analyzed the production lines of beef , pork , chicken and sheep.
His aim was to evaluate the quality and safety food lamb along the chain through which circulates the product and establishing three basic links : slaughterhouses , processing plants and butchers , but really the analysis has been carried out in plant processing Burgos , which supplied three slaughterhouses , which in turn takes five butchers.
The investigation has led to Sandra Oses to conclude that the main source of contamination is found in slaughterhouses, “a pollution that creeps along the entire production process , “he says , and therefore , that reaches the consumer, But lamb is usually cooked very well, which eliminates the problem. ” The roast is not like chicken or a fillet of beef we make round and round , “says the researcher, “so we eliminate pathogens that could contain. ”
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Scientists at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and the Plant Genetics Group SERIDA in Asturias , analyzed the sensory changes produced by varying the time of collection FABAS . Among its findings, highlighting the possibility of moving the collection of Asturias faba for new culinary uses that may increase yields.
Researchers led by Francesc Casanas, UPC , and Juan Jose Ferreira, the SERIDA , analyzed four varieties of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. ) in Catalonia and Asturias among which is the Asturian faba . Among his observations, significant differences in cooking behavior depending on the time of collection . As explained by Juan Jose Ferreira, ” immature seeds , ie they are fully developed in the pod but have not yet begun the process of dehydration, were less cooking time . ”
Another character that varies more significantly according to time of collection is that the immature seeds show a lower perception of skin roughness and greater seed harvested later on, dried and re- hydrated , as have shown the authors.
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Twenty eight years after getting the first genetically modified animal , a giant mouse in which the gene for rat growth hormone has been transferred, the first genetically modified animal destined for human consumption is going to be authorized by Food and Drug Administration (FDA ). It is a species of salmon that grow twice as fast as conventional Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) .
The company AquaBounty Technologies has developed genetically modified salmon eggs , under the name of Atlantic salmon eggs AquAdvantage . These eggs have in their genome a gene from Chinook salmon , an anadromous species (which usually lives at sea but swims up rivers to lay their eggs ) found in northern waters of the Pacific and can reach a , 5 m and weigh over 60 kg. In principle , the salmon do not synthesize growth hormone during the cold season , but in this case , this case GM products throughout the year , resulting in a growth rate multiplied by two to achieve adult size of the salmonids ( see Figure 1 ).
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The transfer to industrial scale production of ethanol from various sources of cellulosic biomass, is of three main elements: identifying and obtaining or vegetable raw materials with the highest concentration of carbohydrates, the establishment point grinding processes saccharification and economically viable to release simple sugars contained in these carbohydrates and identification of microorganisms with the gene to ferment all of these sugars. Results from recent studies conducted by researchers at the ARS / USDA have been the subject of articles in scientific journals such as Biotechnology and Bioengineering, the Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy and the Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. This research focuses on two types of projects: first the development of a protocol for the transformation of wheat straw into ethanol and secondly, the characterization of bacteria infecting plants producing ethanol and interfering with fuel production.
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Initiatives against hunger in the world are developing increasingly in the United States and in particular, on May 20 in Washington, DC, held a symposium organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, entitled “Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security: Progress to Date and Strategies for Success “. This event was to bring together key actors for change in the security sector in the U.S. food and agricultural development policies. The keynote address was given by the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Tom Vilsack explained that the role of the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) in “Feed the Future, an initiative of the U.S. Government food security and against world hunger, and the strategy for implementation of this initiative will be published in Feed the Future Guide, following the rally.
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A “nutritional counselor” for the elderly and some interactive games that help the user learn the basics of food, nutrition and balanced diet. These are two of the latest technological innovations developed by a team of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia with a single goal: to help improve the diet of the population.
As the researchers explain the UPV, both the low intake of foods such as sedentary lifestyle often linked to the elderly increases the risk of malnutrition and chronic disease development, factors that negatively affect the quality of life and independence of our elders.
Given the existing problems, researchers developed the application UPV Nutritional Counselor, Which aims to alleviate the factors that negatively influence the nutrition of the elderly. This application monitors and improves the nutritional habits of elderly through an easy touch screen placed in the kitchen.
This particular “Director”, offers various services for the elderly: from weekly menus and nutrition advice tailored to their tastes so as to update your profile and health status, to a shopping list associated with the menus created, which can be printed or sent to a mobile phone, and easy recipes and preparation. All content provided to the elderly nutrition is supervised by a nutritionist, which ensures the adequacy of the advice and menus to each user.
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A team of researchers from the Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University has sequenced the complete genome of Bacillus subtilis natto, the bacteria used for fermentation of natto.
Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans. Usually eaten with white rice, it is variously appreciated in the Japanese population because of its sticky side of smell and taste particularly pronounced. Natto had a number of nutritional benefits.
To obtain the complete genome of B. subtilis natto, the researchers first sequenced the small portions of DNA, a length of about 35 base pairs each. They then assembled the information obtained by taking as a model genomes already sequenced a body close and conventionally used in research, B. subtilis Marburg 168. This allowed them to reconstruct the entire genome of B. subtilis natto. Finally, they compared the two genomes, which allowed them to identify a number of DNA sequences specific to B. subtilis natto.
The results of this work have been put online for free access. Different enzymes and specific proteins of B. subtilis natto could find applications in various fields: for example, natto has a strong retention of water. Identify substances that give this characteristic could have applications in cosmetics. Other areas potentially affected are health, the environment or food.
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On March 24, 2010 was inaugurated in the Department of Food Science, the new food processing pilot plant at the University of Liege, with three goals: scientific, educational and service delivery.
“It is increasingly demanded food producers to demonstrate their mastery of microbiological and chemical hazards, says Dr. Georges Daube, a leader in the science department of food for this project and specialist microbiology of foods. Food hazards from a share of raw materials involved in the product: that is, for example, cases of Salmonella. Secondly, the food can be contaminated by personnel or the environment. But we can not entail any risk to the consumer: we’re talking sometimes capable of killing germs. ”
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