Proposal for Instruction in Computer-Based Instrumentation for Food Science

本项目建立了一个基于计算机的仪器教学计划，作为提高食品科学本科课程质量的一种手段。新设备由质地分析仪和粘度计组成，为本科生提供测量食品流变学的实践培训。这些仪器是食品工业质量控制和产品开发的标准，学生在这两种能力中使用这些仪器。这些仪器是电脑驱动的，让学生有机会学习电脑操作仪器的原理。一组计算机工作站可以同时向几个学生演示这项技术。学生们分析食物材料的质地，在电子表格中收集数据，绘制结果图表，并单独评估结果，或最多成对评估结果。这个项目的目的是让学生了解流变学，更重要的是，了解基于计算机的仪器，这样他们就可以使用这些知识来操作其他基于计算机的仪器。本项目通过让学生体验食品工业中使用的设备，提高了本科教育的质量，帮助他们了解质地和质地测量的原理，并增加了食品科学本科学生独立研究项目的数量。这些新仪器被用于几门食品科学课程。计算机上安装了统计和数据分析软件，以及教授生化过程、蛋白质结构、饮食分析和其他食品科学相关主题的特定软件。这所大学的其他科学系和当地有食品科学专业的学院将通过共享这个基于计算机的仪器实验室而受益。这个项目产生的本科生研究成果可以通过万维网上的食品科学与营养主页、食品技术专家协会会议上的报告和食品科学期刊上的出版物来传播。＊

This project establishes a program of instruction in computer-based instrumentation as a means of improving the quality of the undergraduate curriculum in Food Science. The new equipment consists of a texture analyzer and a viscometer to provide undergraduate students with hands-on training in measuring rheology of food. These instruments are standard in the food industry for quality control and for product development, and students use these instruments in both capacities. The instruments are computer driven, giving students an opportunity to learn the principles of computer-operated instrumentation. A bank of computer workstations allow demonstration of this technology to several students at a time. The students analyze the texture of a food material, gather the data in a spreadsheet, graph the results, and evaluate the results individually, or at most, in pairs. The aim of this project is to provide the students with an understanding of rheology and, more importantly, an understanding of computer-based instrumentation so that they can use this knowledge to operate other computer-based instruments. This project improves the quality of undergraduate education by giving students experience on equipment used in the food industry, it helps them understand the principles of texture and texture measurement, and it increases the number of independent research projects performed by undergraduate food science students. The new instruments are used in several food science courses. Statistical and data analysis software is installed on the computers, along with specific software to teach biochemical proceqses, protein structure, diet analysis, and other food-science-related topics. Other departments in the Science Division at this university and local colleges with Food Science programs will benefit by sharing this computer-based instrumentation laboratory. Undergraduate research generated by this program can be disseminated by means of a Food Science and Nutrition Home Page on the World W ide Web, presentations at Institute of Food Technologists Meetings, and publications in Food Science journals. *