What's In My Food?!?!

Being a freshman in college I always try to watch what I eat in order to avoid the dreadful "Freshman Fifteen." More frequently I catch myself reading the ingredients in the food I eat. Have you ever just read the ingredients at the bottom of the nutrition table and have wondered, "what the heck is this word I can't even pronounce," or "what is the difference between red dye #1 and red dye #40?" Today I want to unmask some of the common ingredients that are hidden in the food we love. 



Citric Acid: Most Common Preservative

• organic acid found in fruits
• lime, lemons and grapefruits
• makes it harder for bacteria and mold to survive and reproduce
• doesn't cause side effect as is USFDA approved

High Fructose Corn-Syrup: Most Common Sweeter

• process involves changing simple sugar glucose to another sugar fructose
• process is cheap 
• can also act as a preservative
• linked to obesity

 Caramel Color: Most Color Additive 

• yellow no. 5, yellow no .6, red no. 40
•  red n. 40 most used
• produced from the over heating of food-grade carbohydrates

 Salt: Most Common Flavor or Spice

• sodium chloride
• linked to high blood pressure

Monosodium Glutamate: Most Common Flavor Enhancer

• MSG has no distinct taste itself
• sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid
• unsafe at large consumptions found by FDA investigation

Niacin: Most Common Nutrient

• helps hold nutrients lost during food manufacturing 
• vitamin B3
• water-soluble and passed through body by urine

Soybean Oil: Most Common Oil or Fat

• contains unsaturated fatty acids

Xanthan Gum: Most Common Thickener

• produced by bacterium  Xanthomonas campestris
• thickening agent
• helps the viscosity of mixture 
• creates a smooth texture

 

Chemical Monsters!

As society continues to make advancements in chemical developments, it appears that our environment is at major risk. History has shown that men are creating large problem for the environment and the creatures that live in it(including us humans). Today I want to review my top 3 worst man-created disasters in history.

GOLF WAR OIL SPILL
In the midst of war damage was brought upon the environment and its wildlife.

•  January 23rd, 1991
• Iraq invasion of Kuwait 
• Iraqi Soldiers split oil clouds into the Persian Gulf 
• 600+ oil wells blew up and burned for 7 months
• Large effect on wildlife and ecological balance
• 6 million barrels of oil spilled

BHOPAL (MADHYA PRADESH) TRAGEDY
This tragedy is know as he world's worst industrial chemical disaster.

• Pesticide (methyl isocyanate (MIC)) plant leak due to overheating
• Plant built by Union Carbide Cooperation
• Release of heavy gases and other poisonous toxins
• 20,000+ deaths including permanent disabilities and illness
• Symptoms included blindness, kidney failure and liver damage
• Union Carbide, paid 470 million dollars to India government in 1989

 WORLD WARD II (HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI)
Though one of the most triumphant moments for the United States, the bombing of Hiroshima was one of the worst moments in history for both mankind and the environment.

• Atomic bomb dropped
• August 6, 1945 on Hiroshima, Japan
• First 2-4 months of the bombings effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima
• August 9, 1945 on Nagasaki, Japan
• First 2-4 months of the bombings effects killed 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki
•  Roughly 50% of the deaths in each city occurred on the first day

Chemical Engineering Outlook

As a current freshman at the University of Arkansas majoring in chemical engineering, I am constantly asked why I chose chemical engineering and what specifically I want to do within the field. This question has been asked by scholarship committees, academic advisers, and even future employers. As I become a sophomore in the fall and attend the fall career fair I want to be totally knowledgeable about my career field. The blog today is going to review important chemical engineering statistics and leading company reviews.

CAREER FAIR AMAZEMENT!


 Recently, I attended the National Society of Black Engineers(NSBE) national convention in Nashville Tennessee. There was over 300 companies there to recruit. I was so overwhelmed and didn't know which companies were great employers for chemical engineers. Based on the data collected at http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Chemical_Engineer/Salary there are a few companies that pay well over the national average for chemical engineering, most having to do with petroleum. The top companies include: Shell Oil, Exxonmobil, and Dow Chemicals. So based off this data I am going to shape my resume around the preferences of these companies.

CHEMICAL DEMAND

A college students worst nightmare is to graduate with a degree that will not give the great pay or benefits, thankfully based off current statistics chemical engineers are in high demand. As shown by the graphs below: