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Food Scientist/Technologist

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In the world of food science, a peanut has been born. Food scientists have developed a healthy new peanut by increasing the fat content. Now that's nutty!

Professor Bob Bates has kept a close eye on the peanut project. "Our agronomists developed a peanut that is high in oleic acid. Oleic acid is one of the fatty acids in peanuts. And it's a good fat!" says Bates.

This fatty nut is on the market and is gaining popularity with the public. However, sensory work still has to be done to make sure it's as acceptable as a regular peanut. "It's very popular, but of course,...we have to do a lot of work. How about the stability of the peanut? How about the flavor when it's roasted? How about making peanut butter out of it?" he says.

How many scientists does it take to make a peanut? Lots! "Next to the human body, there is just about nothing more complex than the interaction between food and the human body," says Bates. He was attracted to the field in the first place because of the many sciences involved.

As an undergraduate, Bates was fascinated by all of the sciences. Food science worked well as a focus for Bates, not because he's particularly crazy about food, but because it requires diverse scientific knowledge.

"I was very interested in all aspects of science, and the appealing thing about food science is it brings all of these together. There's chemistry, there's the biochemistry, there's the engineering, there's the physics -- [and] certainly the mathematics as you deal with statistics."

According to Bates, food scientists even dabble in a little psychology. "Another aspect is food quality. This involves a lot of sensory work and you're getting pretty close to psychology when you're getting into that. In other words, why do people like the food they like? How can you make it more acceptable to them?" says Bates.

At home, in front of his own dinner plate, Bates leaves the psychology behind. As a food scientist, he doesn't see food in a whole new light. However, he enjoys some of the conveniences that food science has to offer: "Microwave ovens and packaging for microwaves makes it awfully easy."

Food science teacher and researcher Christine Scaman also had an interest in the sciences as a student. "I always liked the sciences, and in particular, chemistry and biochemistry. In fact, I spent my first two years in university in a biochemistry program," she says.

"[It] has made me more aware of local and world issues of food security. Food is such a personal and basic necessity of life. As a food scientist, it is possible to work on problems which will affect the quality or availability of food in the world, and therefore the quality of life and health of people," says Scaman.

"However, the practical and applied aspects of food science had an appeal for me. I liked being able to understand the physical and chemical changes that occurred in foods that I was familiar with on a daily basis -- what makes wines smell so interesting? What chemistry is occurring when bread browns in the oven? What happens to the color of peas when they are canned?

"If you are interested in engineering, microbiology, biology or even marketing, you can apply all these areas to food science. In fact, as a food scientist, you should know something about all of these fields," explains Scaman.

For Scaman, the rush of a challenge is a great reward. Most scientists are renowned, she says, for simply loving the challenge of solving a problem.

"Part of the challenge of my job is keeping up with changes in food science and the food industry. For example, genetically modified foods are a hot topic now. Functional foods, or nutraceuticals, are another new and expanding area of the food industry," she says.

There are some challenges that Scaman could do without. Time demands are very real for most researchers. "Another challenge is trying to find enough hours in the day to spend on doing the research!" says Scaman.

There are aspects of each long day, however, which stick out for Scaman as perhaps the greatest rewards. "I enjoy watching students who have worked with me graduate, knowing that I've helped them achieve their goal," she says.

"I also get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing information from a research problem being published and available to other scientists, or being used by a company."

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