Food Science

Dr. Jevin Lortie Seminar Presentation
2025-09-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Please join us for today’s seminar presented by Dr. Jevin Lortie from CALS entitled “Daunted by Networking? Try the Scientific Method”. His presentation will be based on an article he co-authored for Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/career-advice/carpe-careers/2025/06/16/daunted-networking-try-scientific-method-opinion

Food Science Ambassador Meeting
2025-09-12 15:30 - 16:30 | WI

Faculty/Staff Meeting
2025-09-10 08:30 - 10:00, 2025-08-13 08:30 - 10:00, 2025-07-09 08:30 - 10:00, 2025-06-11 08:30 - 10:00, 2025-05-14 08:30 - 10:00, 2025-04-09 08:30 - 10:00 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States

Graduate Program Committee Meeting
2025-09-08 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-05-20 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-04-15 13:00 - 14:00 | WI

Undergraduate Program Committee Meetings
2025-09-05 15:30 - 16:30 | WI

Resident Course in Confectionery Technology (Candy School)
2025-07-21 - 2025-08-01 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
What is the Confectionery Technology Course?
The two-week Resident Course in Confectionery Technology, also known as Candy School, is designed to instruct technical, production, and research personnel in candy science. The course begins with the chemical and functional interactions of ingredients and advances to more complex subject material including processing, troubleshooting, reworking, and sensory analysis. Learning from industry experts, participants will gain hands-on laboratory experience with all types of candies.
At its heart, Candy School is about science. The chemical and functional interactions of ingredients don’t change. Students learn the science of candies and then make them, varying ingredients to see what happens.
Who should attend?
While Candy School is intended primarily for technical personnel, it is also of value to individuals in production, management and sales who wish to increase their knowledge of confectionery technology.
International students are welcome to attend! Since the course is taught entirely in English, it is recommended that all attendees have a strong command of the language in order to get the most out of Candy School.

Enhanced Gummies & Jellies
2025-05-13 - 2025-05-16 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
What is Enhanced Gummies & Jelllies?
Enhanced Gummies & Jellies is a three-and-a-half day course which provides an overview of gummy and jelly ingredients and the process by which they are made. Students learn to develop advanced concepts and principles, including manufacture of various enhanced or fortified products.
Who Should Attend?
This course is intended to instruct technical, production, research, and managerial personnel in the field of gummies and jellies technology. Anyone looking to gain knowledge about successful manufacturing of various types of gummies and jellies would benefit from this course.

Spring 2025 Commencement
2025-05-10 08:00 - 17:00 | Camp Randall Stadium, 1440 Monrow Street, Madison, WI, 53711, United States
Bachelor’s, Law, and Master’s Degree Candidate Ceremony
Doors open at 10:00 a.m. Graduates are asked to arrive no later than 11:10 a.m.

Spring 2025 Commencement
2025-05-09 17:30 | Kohl Center, 601 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
Doctoral, MFA, and Medical Professional Degree Candidate Ceremony
Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Graduates are asked to arrive no later than 4:50 p.m. to check-in and pick up their name reader card.

Undergraduate Program Committee Meeting
2025-05-09 15:30 - 16:30, 2025-04-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States

Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Committee
2025-05-05 08:30 - 09:30, 2025-04-07 08:30 - 09:30 | WI

Wine & Cheese Social
2025-04-25 17:30 - 20:00 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States

Cultivating Curiosity: A Taste of Wisconsin’s Perennial Crops
2025-04-24 15:00 - 16:30 | Allen Centennial Garden, 620 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Attendees will learn about perennial food crops grown in Wisconsin for food, sustainability, and health. There will be free samples of perennial crops grown in Wisconsin to try. Crops will include hazelnuts, aronia berry, black currant, honeyberry, elderberry, and/or Kernza. (Note that hazelnuts are a tree nut allergen and will be present at the event.)
In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at the Babcock Hall entrance (corner of Linden and Babcock Drive).
Hosted by the Department of Food Science and Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences.

Seminar Presentation
2025-04-21 12:00 - 13:00 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Please join us for today’s seminar presented by Tayana Roark entitled “Producing protein films with biobased plasticizers as a sustainable plastic packaging alternative”
Time: 12:05-12:55
Location: Room 205, Babcock Hall
ABSTRACT
As an alternative to traditional plastic food packaging, interest has increased in biopolymers because they are more sustainable than conventional plastics. For example, plant-based proteins can be sourced from various waste streams and have the innate ability to form films projected to be edible and home-compostable. Plasticizer and solvent choice are important when casting films to reduce brittleness and improve film tenacity through cross-linking. Glycerol, the most used bio-plasticizer, is prone to migration out of the films, thus reducing the films’ flexibility and shelf life. Our study aims to couple the plasticizing effects of phenolic compounds with the protein solubilizing properties of formic acid to enhance protein film integrity. Films were solution-cast by dissolving plant proteins (gluten, soy, or zein) in combination with polyphenol extracts (green tea extract and grape seed extracts – high and low polymerized) at different concentrations in formic acid. To evaluate stability, films were stored at 50% relative humidity for 24 h at room temperature before tensile testing. Wheat films showed that treatment with polyphenol extracts improved film integrity by increasing tensile strength while maintaining moderate flexibility. However, they did not have an impact on aqueous stability and increased water vapor permeability. More research needs to be done to understand the specific mechanisms behind these results. This study demonstrates and assesses the ability of proteins to be utilized as a sustainable alternative for traditional plastic food packaging

Graduate Representative Committee Meeting
2025-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 | WI

Weird Science Fair
2025-04-01 12:00 - 14:00 | Steenbock Library, 505 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Take a study break that feeds you and your brain: the first ever Weird Science Fair at Steenbock Library! Open to all of campus.
April 1, 2025. 12pm-2pm in the BioCommons.
Drop in for an afternoon of fun facts, science crafts, and treats! We will be serving free pizza, color-changing lemonade and weird candy. Learn about local research and do hands-on science activities offered by the libraries and campus partners.
Activities include:

Cool bugs with Insect Ambassadors
Polarization art with the Department of Physics
The Hypothermia Challenge with Wisconsin Water Library and Wisconsin Sea Grant
3D Veterinary Models, with McLean Gunderson Model Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine
Balloon inflation experiment with WISCIENCE Service with Youth in STEM Outreach
Cheese puffing with Department of Food Science
Mosquito and Tick activities (and internship opportunity) with Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease
Button making, science trivia, weird patents and specimen jars with Steenbock Library and Patent & Trademark Services

If you have any questions please contact asksel@library.wisc.edu
Sponsored by UW-Madison Libraries and WISCIENCE. Thank you to all the partners listed above!

Seminar Presentation
2025-03-31 12:00 - 13:00 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Please join us for today’s seminar presented by McKenna Helder entitled “Investigating Moisture Migration in Frozen Dessert Systems”
Time: 12:05-12:55
Location: Room 205, Babcock Hall
ABSTRACT
Moisture migration in multi-component food systems occurs due to water activity differences, driving water movement between phases. Governed by thermodynamic and mass transfer principles, this process can lead to desirable or undesirable physical changes in the product. In frozen systems, moisture migration follows similar principles as in unfrozen systems but is further complicated by the presence of an ice phase, which alters water activity at sub-zero temperatures. This study investigates moisture migration in frozen sorbet-inclusion systems, aiming to develop a method for tracking migration over time and understanding its key driving forces. The effects of sorbet formulation, storage temperature, and inclusion type on moisture migration were examined. Results indicate that lowering the sorbet’s freezing point increases moisture migration, while higher viscosity reduces it. Elevated storage temperatures accelerate migration rates, and different inclusions exhibit similar trends and equilibrium moisture levels when stored under the same conditions. Additionally, the discovery of a sucrose-water eutectic in specific sorbet and inclusion combinations is explored as this eutectic acts as a barrier, altering moisture migration patterns. These findings improve our understanding of moisture migration in frozen systems and provide insights for optimizing inclusion stability in frozen desserts.

Seminar Presentation
2025-03-31 12:00 - 13:00 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Please join us for today’s seminar presented by Tianci Li entitled “Phase separation of mixed hydrocolloids in gummy system”
Time: 12:05-12:55
Location: Room 205, Babcock Hall
ABSTRACT
The growing consumer demand for healthy candies and gummies has presented manufacturers with both opportunities and challenges for innovation. Gelatin derived from animals holds a significant market share in the gummy and jelly industry, which indicates a need for the development of higher-quality vegan/plant-based alternatives. Since blended hydrocolloids are believed to have synergistic effects on gel strength or to produce gel textures intermediate to those of individual hydrocolloids, the use of multiple gelling agents has become more common in modern products. In complex systems, phase separation is more likely to occur due to limited thermodynamic compatibility between molecules. Phase separation refers to the phenomenon in which a homogeneous solution containing mixed biopolymers de-mixes into liquid phases with differing polymer concentrations in each phase. This study aims to investigate the interactions among three different hydrocolloids—starch, high-methoxyl pectin, and agarose—in a high-viscosity gummy system, and how various factors influence phase separation and the final gel properties.

Seminar Presentation
2025-03-31 12:00 - 13:00 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Please join us for today’s seminar presented by Sanjana Sawant entitled “Complexation of Soy Protein Fibrils and Ionic Polysaccharides”
Time: 12:05-12:55
Location: Room 205, Babcock Hall
ABSTRACT
Protein amyloid fibrils exhibit excellent functional properties due to their unique structural features. However, their application in food matrices is significantly limited by their instability at pH values above 2. This study explores the complexation of soy protein fibrils with gellan gum (anionic) and chitosan (cationic) as a strategy to prevent pH-induced degradation of fibrillar structure and function. It was observed that pH adjustment from 2 to 4 and 7, can cause irreversible fibril damage due to aggregation, particularly when passing through the isoelectric point. Among all polysaccharide-pH combinations, chitosan complexation proved most effective in preserving fibril integrity at pH 4. Atomic force microscopy showed the presence of fibrils alongside some aggregates and FTIR analysis further confirmed that chitosan best preserved the fibrils’ β-sheet structure. Rapid Visco analysis revealed that the gelling properties of the fibrils were retained, and the suspensions showed excellent phase stability at pH 4 in the presence of chitosan. Overall, this work provides valuable insights into strategies for mitigating pH-induced fibril degradation, expanding the potential applications of protein fibrils in food matrices.
The session will also guide researchers through critical stages of experimental design, data collection, and interpretation. Practical insights will be shared on preparing for experiments, structuring research findings, and making informed decisions post-analysis.
Finally, attendees will gain a step-by-step understanding of writing and publishing a research paper, including the role of the first author in shaping a compelling research story. This roadmap will equip researchers with essential skills to effectively communicate their findings and contribute meaningfully to their field.

Candy Basics Course
2025-03-24 - 2025-03-28 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
What is the Candy Basics Course?
The one-week Candy Basics course is designed to instruct production, sales, and managerial personnel in candy technology. The course begins with the chemical and functional interactions of ingredients and progresses to lectures on all types of candies taught by industry experts. Participants will also gain hands-on laboratory experience with hard candy, gummies & jellies, panning, caramel, and chocolate.
Who should attend?
Candy Basics is more condensed than our two-week Candy School and is intended primarily for non-technical personnel who wish to increase their knowledge of confectionery technology.
International students are welcome to attend! Since the course is taught entirely in English, it is recommended that all attendees have a strong command of the language in order to get the most out of the course.

Graduate Representative Committee
2025-03-19 12:00 - 13:00 | WI
