A Scientific Systems Approach to an Advanced Food Science and Nutrition Course to be Taught in the Home Economics Laboratory!
FOOD AND SCIENCE is a curriculum guide of learning experiences that link chemistry and food preparation. The activities illustrate Cook and Eat Chemistry. The chemical composition of proteins, fats and oils, carbohydrates, and water effect the preparation of foods. These are nutrients, but they are known to scientists as food chemicals. As such, they are the focus, in this guide, of a unit each. They are included because of their importance in understanding food preparation rather than their importance to nutrition. The nutrients, vitamins, and minerals do not effect the preparation of foods as much; their importance is their nutritional contribution which is addressed in curriculum guides Volume II (Food and Fitness) and Volume III (Food For Life).
This is Volume IV in a series of Food Nutrition and Science Curriculum projects developed for the Utah State Board of Education.
Lesson Plans | Acknowledgments | Curriculum
Guide | Forward |
Nutrient
Review | Classroom/Lab
Management
Unit 1 - Preassessment
Unit 2 - Classroom Member Diversity
Unit 3 - Kitchen Equipment and Lab Procedures
Unit 4 - Importance of Mathematics in Home Economics Nutrition and Food Science Classes
Unit 5 - Reading a Recipe and Measuring
Unit 6 - Safety and Food Sanitation
Unit 1 - Food Borne Illnesses - Food-borne illnesses can be prevented through safe, food-handling techniques.
Unit 2 - Bacteria- Information about microorganisms and their role in food biotechnology and food microbiology.
Unit 3 - Yeasts and Molds - Characteristics of yeasts and molds and their effect upon the management of health, food resources and the food industry.
Unit 4 - Food Preservation: A Practical Application - Major food preservation methods and their relationship to the conditions that encourage or inhibit growth of microorganisms.
Unit 1 - A Common Measurement System - Students need to know and understand the metric system in order to perform advanced scientific activities in the foods laboratories.
Unit 2 - Mathematical Accuracy in Measuring - Students need to know and understand the principles of replication and variation (reliability and validity) in order to be successful in using and formulation recipes.
Unit 3 - Reliability and Validity in Empirical Research: A Practical Application - Scientific experiments applied to the study of food production.
Unit 1 - Cells and Chemical Changes in Matter - The generic (universal) cell and its functions and involvement in chemical changes illustrates life processes.
Unit 3 - Meat, Fish, and Poultry: A Practical Application - Different cuts of meat and the proper tools and scientific principles underlying preparation methods to produce the most nutritional value and suitability.
Unit 1 - Physical and Chemical Changes in Food - Students will analyze, synthesize, and test food mixtures and substances in order to identify atoms, molecules, elements, and compounds, and recoginze physical changes that take place in foods.
Unit 1 - Chemical Formulas - The components of chemical formulas and equations that are used to illustrate chemical reactions.
Unit 2 - Chemical Leavening Agents - Chemical leavening agents in dough and batters.
Unit 3 - Quick Breads: A Practical Application - The ingredients, methods and processes that produce quality products form stir-and-pour batters.
Unit 1 - Physical and Chemical Properties of Water - Experiments with water as a component of suspensions, solutions, and heat conduction contributing to the use of food and the health and wellness of human beings.
Unit 2 - Life Processes and Water - The function and nature of water as it effects all living things.
Unit 3 - Milk: A Practical Application - The impact of the physical and chemical properties of milk and its use as an important food.
Unit 1 - Polymers and Crystals - Observations and experiments dealing with crystals and ploymers and their roles in food science.
Unit 1 - Amino Acids - Scientific principles in using eggs as a highly nutritious and versatile food source of protein.
Unit 2 - Eggs: A Practical Application - A knowledge of the chemical and physical nature of eggs and their role in food preparation.
Unit 1 - Fatty Acids - Connections between chemical structures of fats and oils (lipids) and their use in food science and nutrition.
Unit 2 - Pies: A Practical Application - Pastry making, which utilizes scientific principles, can add variety to meals and provide fat, which is on of the nutrients humans get from digesting food.
Yeast Bread: A Hands-On Food and Science Final Evaluation Project - Bread is a staple food item in most countries in the world.
Lesson Plans | Acknowledgments | Curriculum Guide | Forward | Nutrient Review | Classroom/Lab Management
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Maxine Lewis Rowley Brigham Young University and Almina Barksdale | |
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PROJECT EDITORS |
Renee Hyer |
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INPUT TEACHERS |
PILOT TEST TEACHERS
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Developed with a grant from the Utah State Board for Applied Technology Education | |
This is a curriculum guide. Consequently it contains topics, concepts (generalizations). objectives, and learning activities. Teachers must do their own lesson plans. As is typical of curriculum guides, very little content is included; but teachers are provided with resources and references from which to get much of the needed background information. Otherwise. the guide would be too large and cumbersome for practical use.
This curriculum guide is intended for use as a year's course in food science and food preparation at the eleventh through twelfth grade levels. The guide is an important part of the nutrition education program K-12 for the State of Utah. It is the fourth component ot the 9-12 articulated curriculum and is intended to be used as the capstone of the high school nutrition and foods strand for which Home Economics/Consumer and Family Science has been given the responsibility by the Utah State Board of Education.
Like its sister guides (VOLUME II - FOOD AND FITNESS and VOLUME Ill - FOOD FOR LIFE) this course needs to be introduced by the management and introductory volume that is basic to the learning activities in this and the other guides. The management unit is found in NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCE CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY MANAGEMENT CURRICULUM, the Utah State Board of Education curriculum guide published in 1992. Every secondary school in the State of Utah has received copies of this curriculum guide.
Anv student who has successfully passed classes using VOLUME II - FOOD AND FITNESS in either the ninth or tenth grade. should be allowed to enroll in the courses using VOLUME IV - FOOD AND SCIENCE. Ideally it would be sequenced after both Volume II and Volume Ill.
The curriculum format of this guide is organized around a theme of scientific principles which form part of the foundation of food technology. Students practice the application of science principles to prepare food that is palatable and nutritious. The learning activities cross specific areas of chemistry, physics. microbiology, physiology, and mathematics. The goal of the project directors is to make a student's understanding of science move from the abstract to the concrete by using application experiences in the nutrition and foods laboratory of the secondary schools.
THE CURRICULUM FORMAT AND LAYOUT
The curriculum format and layout are organized in the same manner as the first three volumes of Utah's articulated nutrition and foods curricula. These are CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY MANAGEMENT, FOOD AND FITNESS, and FOOD FOR LIFE. The entire guide has been written with teachers and students in mind. Each section of the curriculum is designed to stand alone and contains units of detailed study with scientific and technical information. A skills supplement follows which allows the teacher the opportunity to enhance the lesson material. The skills supplement should not be separated from its background units. However, teachers may sequence the different sections in any order they desire in order to meet the needs of their individual situations and resources.
The page numbering system is as follows:
Section - Roman Numeral (IV)
Unit - Arabic (3)
Page number - Arabic (24)
The page number will appear at the bottom of each page and will look like the following example; IV-3-24. This will read: Section 4, Unit 3, Page 24.
The guide has been color coded for easy and quick identification. All of the divider, resource, objective/background information, and learning activities/teaching strategies option pages have been printed in various colors. All of the resource pages that are copy ready have been left in white as master pages.
A list of resources is included to give the teacher some assistance in obtaining current and updated information on the ever-changing subject of nutrition. Specific references and resources can be found at the beginning of each unit on page 2 - Section/Unit Resource Materials. This page lists the title of each worksheet or teaching aid in the unit. This title will be referenced in the OPTION or learning activity and is printed in caps and bolded for easy identification.
Each unit has a PREASSESSMENT. It is found at the beginning of the unit before the background information. A preassessment permits the teacher to assess the cultural literacy or prior knowledge of the students. The students need to be assured that performance on preassessment is never graded and educated guesses and elaboration should be encouraged.
NOTE: It is suggested that the teachers instruct students to keep a notebook of worksheets, lab experiments with observations/results, and other learning activity options participated in by the students.
NOTE TO TEACHER: THE TEACHER WILL INSTRUCT THE STUDENTS TO KEEP AN EXPERIMENTER'S NOTEBOOK TLIROUGHOUT THE COURSE. THEY WILL RECORD PROCEDURES AND RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS DONE IN CLASS.
The items listed are not usually found in the home economics meal preparation lab.
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ONE PER UNIT 2()() ml beakers |
TEACHER SUPPLIES Regular light microscope or stereo microscope Slides and slips Dehydrated nutrient agar Glycerin Chemicals as needed Vials of pH papers Triple beam balances |
Lesson Plans | Acknowledgments | Curriculum Guide | Forward | Nutrient Review | Classroom/Lab Management
This curriculum guide is the capstone of the articulated foods and nutrition curriculum produced from 1992 through 1995 for the Utah State Board of Education, Vocational Home Economics/Family and Consumer Sciences division. The guide utilizes a systems approach that connects units of physics, chemistry, physiology, microbiology, and mathematics to the practical application of food processing and preparation technology. The guide seeks to explore scientific principles, approaches, tools, and technology in ways that leave the fascination but take away the mystery and uncertainty of dealing with food and food products in our school laboratories and in our homes.
One of the national education goals over the last decade has been to strengthen science achievement of students in the public school system. Presidents, scientists, legislators, and laymen, alike, have described precollege science education as outmoded, dead-ended, and largely irrelevant.
The criticism arises not so much from the fact that science is not being well taught as from the issue that students need to understand linkages of scientific principles to their own culture. Secondary schools want to graduate high school students who can apply science in everyday living. Science and technology have become socialized.
Today, scientific research endeavors may be more socially driven than theory driven. For example, society wants to control AIDS, manage the natural environment, and enable people to live long, healthy lives. These and other societal goals require citizenry with a knowledge of science in the context of everyday human affairs.
Nowhere is this more realistic than in a curriculum that provides a union of science with food processing and preparation. Nowhere can scientific literacy be better accomplished. Modern science is not only in complete harmony with modern food technology but modern science drives current food technology and it effects the quality of life for individuals and families.
One definition, then, of a scientifically knowledgeable person is an individual who recognizes the unique character of food science and is aware of its values and limitations. Such values include the ability to distinguish science from pseudo-science, fact from myth, and theory from dogma and folklore.
Maxine Lewis Rowley
Almina Barksdale
Lesson Plans | Acknowledgments | Curriculum Guide | Forward | Nutrient Review | Classroom/Lab Management
NOTE TO TEACHERS: This is the fourth in a series of curriculum guides produced for the State of Utah secondary school system. It is assumed that students will be familiar with basic and intermediate nutrition. The following information is included as a reference and review.
Nutrition Come Alive, The Nutrient Connection
Developed by the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Extension Service, Cornell University, 1986
WATER
Water may not seem like a nutrient, but it is, and probably our most important one. Humans can live several weeks without food but only a few days without water. Water makes up almost two- thirds of the body. It is part of every cell. Water carries all of the other nutrients to the cells and takes wastes away. It also helps regulate body temperature. Every food has some water in it.
PROTEIN
Proteins are the building blocks of the body. That means every tissue is made of some form of protein. Even enzymes, antibodies, and hormones are proteins. Without a steady supply of new protein, we couldn't grow new cells. Our wounds would not heal. Worn-out cells could not be replaced. Protein can also be used for energy if the body doesn't get enough calories from carbohydrates and fats. Excess protein is changed to fat and stored. Meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, and eggs are good sources of protein. Grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes (dry peas and beans) also contain some protein.
CARBOHYDRATES
The main function of carbohydrates is to supply energy. That's a tall order because all 100 trillion cells in the body need a constant supply of fuel. Otherwise, their "factories" (if you think of them that way) would grind to a halt. Even when you don't think you are doing a thing, your heart is beating and your lungs are working. In fact, every organ is busy doing something.
There are three different kinds of carbohydrates. The simplest carbohydrates are sugars such as glucose, fructose, dextrose, and sucrose. Sugars are found naturally in fruits, milk, and some vegetables such as peas. Refined sugars from sugar beets and sugarcane are used for table sugar and as sweeteners in processed foods and home recipes.
Starches are more complex carbohydrates. They are found in rice, potatoes, vegetables, breads, and cereals. Complex carbohydrates are receiving new attention because they are so essential to health. Up until now, most people thought foods rich in complex carbohydrates were only starch and should be avoided. Now we understand that these foods are important in our diets, partly because they provide other important nutrients.
Fiber is the complex carbohydrate that forms the tough cell walls in plants. Even though humans can't digest fiber, it is important because it helps keep food moving though the digestive tract. Fiber may also help keep the intestines in good working order. All plants supply some fiber, but whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are especially good sources.
Approximately a pound of carbohydrate is stored in the liver in a form called glycogen. This glycogen is used when the body needs quick energy. Any other excess carbohydrate is converted to fat and stored as fatty tissue.
FATS
Fats are the nutrients that supply the most energy-more than twice as much as carbohydrates. They also carry four important vitamins (A,D,E, and K) through the body and supply some fatty acids that are absolutely necessary for good health. The fat that is stored in the body helps insulate, cushion, and protect us. Foods such as butter, margarine, oils, shortenings, and salad dressings are easy to pick out as fats. But not all sources of fat are so obvious. Whole milk, cheeses, ice cream, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, gravies, sauces, bakery foods, fried foods, and even some candies contain fats.
VITAMINS
Scientists knew there was something else in food besides water, carbohydrates, protein, and fat long before they could isolate the mystery ingredient in the laboratory. The mystery remained unsolved until 1913 when the unknown ingredient was finally discovered. As it turned out, it wasn't just one ingredient but several similar chemicals that we now call vitamins. Although each has a scientific name, we know them best by their letter names A,B,C,D,E, and K. (There are eight different B vitamins and some other vitamins such as niacin that don't have letter names.)
Vitamins probably eluded scientists for so long because foods contain such tiny amounts of them. Nevertheless, without even these tiny amounts, the cells couldn't do their jobs. Vitamins are responsible for helping to form the material that holds cells together, for helping bones and teeth to use calcium, for helping the body use energy, and for many other critical life-support activities.
MINERALS
Like vitamins, the minerals in foods were hard to isolate because there were so many of them doing so many specialized jobs. Minerals do such diverse tasks as building strong bones or maintaining the right amount of water inside the cells. 'Me major minerals we need are calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sulfur, sodium, potassium, and chloride. We also need certain other minerals in very tiny amounts. Some of these trace minerals are iron, iodine, fluoride, and zinc.
Lesson Plans | Acknowledgments | Curriculum Guide | Forward | Nutrient Review | Classroom/Lab Management
CONCEPT
If students use and store kitchen equipment appropriately and utilize sanitary work habits, the management of the foods laboratory will be a safe and easy place to work and the lab experiences will be more productive and more transferable to the settings of employment, home, and family.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The teacher is directed to VOLUME I - NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCE CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY MANAGEMENT CURRICULUM published in 1992 by the Utah State Office of Education. This curriculum guide is a detailed management curriculum useable by any teacher who teaches food classes. Every secondary home economics department has been provided with a copy of this guide. It is also available to teachers upon request from the department of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Applied Technology Education, Utah State Office of Education, Salt Lake City, Utah. Its table of contents is listed below.
NOTE TO TEACHER: This management guide should be used as the beginning section, preceding any of the three volumes of the articulated Food Science and Nutrition Curriculum for use in the State of Utah.
