Not that long ago books, newspapers, magazines and journals were the principal sources of content and information. The researcher or student was in control, easily assessing and evaluating the authority of each resource, able to indulge in slow, careful reading of relatively limited information sources in order to gain the desired knowledge. However, these days communication itself is the new information source and content is but the catalyst. Yet why? To explain this evolution it’s worth [...]

Pursuing food science as a profession is extremely worthwhile; however the path to success is not that easy and requires a good deal of effort and determination. What is food science? According to the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST), ‘Food science is the scientific understanding of the composition of food under various conditions.’ This involves multidisciplinary knowledge in a combination of sciences like biology, microbiology, chemistry, physics and engineering which are used to [...]

In the US, cantaloupes, pine nuts, romaine lettuce and sprouts caused serious outbreaks of illness in 2011, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, five of the most significant or unusual outbreaks of foodborne illness involved fresh produce. The CDC said that 2011 was the most active year in recent history for ‘foodborne illness outbreaks that crossed state lines’. The health-related cost of foodborne illness in [...]

Protein has been a media darling for a while now. Mainly because consuming high levels of protein has become a popular weight-loss strategy in the last ten years or so. A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet causes the body to go into ketosis where the body burns its own fat for fuel as oppose to its normal tendency to burn carbohydrates. While that’s certainly one way to promote a healthier lifestyle, some food science experts caution about [...]

Just when I feel like I’m making some headway I have a nagging sense that there is still so much more I have to learn about the nuances, intricacies and minutiae of Google, and Google+ for that matter. What frustrates me, and no doubt many other users, is how easy it is to miss or forget something important about the constantly evolving world of online search. For example, recently I forgot that Google filters my [...]

While discussing a recent blog post with a colleague it struck me that the notion of content curation has significantly evolved in recent times. Traditionally the idea has been associated with libraries, archives, galleries, or organisations working with objects or data in some way. For example, the UK’s Digital Curation Centre’s (DCC) have produced a Curation Lifecycle – a complex flow chart capturing the ‘appraise and select’ activities which require information managers to ‘evaluate data [...]

The importance of dairy consumption in reducing the occurrence of health conditions like obesity, metabolic syndrome and heart disease is central to research initiatives pioneered by the US Dairy Research Institute®. In light of some staggering health statistics – approximately one third of Americans are considered obese, heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death among men and women nationwide and nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes – significant nutrition research findings in 2011 [...]

It’s a well-known fact that poor diet and nutrition are major contributory risk factors for ill health. Obesity is a significant health problem due to its association with serious chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), and hyperlipidaemia (high levels of fats in the blood that can lead to narrowing and blockages of blood vessels), which are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular related mortality. Obesity is also associated [...]

I have been closely observing and interacting with the multiple dimensions of social media – don’t just think Facebook, Twitter and Google+ – as they collide and impact with the day-to-day concerns of information professionals. Broadly speaking, engaging with social media in a meaningful way is at the core of what it means to be a socially networked information professional. It’s only by becoming active in social media that you can begin to determine the [...]

Food science and technology scientists and researchers first identified the benefits of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids – specifically DHA and EPA – in the 1970s when they studied Greenland Inuit people who consumed large amounts of fat, predominantly from meat, but displayed few signs of cardiovascular heart disease (CHD). The scientists discovered the high level of omega-3 fatty acids in their diet reduced triglycerides, heart rate, blood pressure, and atherosclerosis. This and numerous other research [...]