food

Apr 30, 2014

What We Know (and Don’t Know) About Vitamins, Diet and Health

Here’s the short version: your kid probably doesn’t need a daily vitamin, and there is no magic ingredient in food that will keep you healthy. When I told folks that I was going to start writing a series of posts that addressed scientific questions about food, I was inundated with questions people wanted me to… 

Apr 2, 2014

Do People and Pigs Share Salmonella Strains?

If antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella is showing up in pigs, then are bacon-loving people also at risk?  In his latest research, NC State population health and pathobiology professor Sid Thakur looks at serotypes, or groups, of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in people and pigs, to try to determine whether these strains are being passed from pork to people. Sid Thakur… 

Oct 9, 2013

Blueberry Power: Eat Your Way to a Better Workout

Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by Justin Moore, an extension communications specialist who works at NC State’s Plants for Human Health Institute in Kannapolis, N.C. Drop and give me 20. But don’t forget to eat your blueberries before and after you complete those push-ups. It turns out that that the fruit, already renowned for… 

Aug 29, 2013

Hungry? Print a Pizza

You’re just dying for a pizza: gooey cheese, sweet tomato sauce, blistered crust. One problem: You’re millions of miles away from a pizza place, flying in some sort of spaceship toward Mars. Domino’s definitely doesn’t deliver up here, pal, so how do you satisfy your pizza craving? Print one out. Working with researchers from the… 

Jul 18, 2013

New Technique for Assessing Calorie Absorption Sheds Light on Genetic Driver of Obesity

Researchers from Harvard, NC State and five other universities have found a specific genetic on-off switch associated with obesity in both mice and humans, raising the long-term possibility of developing new treatments for obesity. As part of the study, NC State researchers had to develop a new technique for assessing calorie absorption in small laboratory animals, which… 

Jun 19, 2013

How Do Bees Make Honey? (It’s Not Just Bee Barf)

Last weekend, my daughter asked me how bees made honey, and I realized that I didn’t know the answer. How do bees make honey? I did some homework, and can now explain it to her – and to you. Different honey bees have different jobs. Some of these bees are “forager” bees, which collect nectar… 

Jun 6, 2013

How to Keep Fresh Fruits and Veggies From Going AWOL

Keeping fruits and vegetables fresh while shipping them halfway around the planet presents logistical challenges that even the U.S. military can’t solve. Now NC State is working with the Army to infuse protein powders and flours with healthy chemicals extracted from fruits and vegetables to provide nutritious – and tasty – meals for soldiers thousands of… 

Nov 15, 2012

Thanksgiving: Simple Tips Can Keep Foodborne Illness at Bay

Thanksgiving is the only U.S. holiday that revolves entirely around food. We spend all day in the kitchen or dining room with loved ones, so it makes sense to pay special attention to food safety this time of year. Why should you care? The CDC estimates that 128,000 people were hospitalized in 2011 due to… 

Sep 20, 2012

Experts: Food Safety Audits Need an Overhaul

Much of the food industry relies on third-party audits of practices, processes and facilities to ensure the food that ultimately reaches consumers is safe. But a new paper from food safety researchers at NC State and Kansas State University argues that these audits need to be overhauled in order to protect public health. Food product buyers… 

Aug 14, 2012

Green Is Good

Editor’s note: The following guest post was written by Leah Chester-Davis, coordinator of communications and outreach for the Plants for Human Health Institute in Kannapolis, N.C. Bad news, Bluto: Mustard greens and cabbage could rival Popeye’s spinach when it comes to building muscles and increasing physical performance. Recent studies show that brassinosteroids present in mustard… 

Jun 14, 2012

The Strain Remains the Same

Sid Thakur is an expert on the kinds of pathogens that like to make their homes in and around our pig populations. He spends most of his time testing the pigs and their environment, identifying potential dangers such as Campylobacter – a nasty little critter that we definitely don’t want in our food supply, particularly… 

Apr 5, 2012

Easter Eggs, Baby Chicks…and Pathogens

Editor’s Note: This is a guest piece written by Dr. Ben Chapman, an assistant professor and food safety expert at NC State. Easter has been on my 3-year-old’s radar since Christmas. Jack has succumbed to the eggs/bunnies/chicks hype at retail stores, and is now really interested in colored eggs (because he thinks they all contain chocolate).… 

Mar 1, 2012

Food History Q&A, with Mark Kurlansky

Editor’s Note: Mark Kurlansky is the best-selling author of “Cod,” “Salt,” “The Big Oyster” and other books focused on the story (and history) of food. He is the winner of the James Beard Award for food writing and the Bon Appetit Food Writer of the Year, among other awards. Kurlansky is the keynote speaker at… 

Feb 7, 2012

The Science Of A Good Pour

I love writing about science. I also enjoy a good beer. I’ve decided to marry these two interests and write a series of posts about the science of beer. It’s not much of a stretch, since brewing is an intensely scientific art. I requested, and received, a lot of questions about the science of beer.… 

Feb 3, 2012

Norovirus: What It Is, How We’re Fighting It

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Lee-Ann Jaykus, a professor in NC State’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, and lead investigator of a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to study human noroviruses. If you have spent a day or two…