Teagasc is holding a public open evening at its Food Research Centre in Ashtown, Dublin, this Thursday evening, 17 November, from 6.30pm-9pm. Meet some of our researchers and find out more about the science of food and how this relates to you and what you eat at ‘A Taste of Food Science’.
This event is one of Teagasc’s events organized for the ‘Festival of Farming & Food – Science Week at Teagasc’, in association with Science Foundation Ireland. Register for this free event on Eventbrite at http://bit.ly/tasteoffoodscience
How do we use all our senses to relate to food? How are sausages made? How clean are your hands? What makes a good steak? What exactly is gluten? Get the answers to these and many more questions at this open evening. Researchers will be there to talk to you about their work and there will be a series of short talks running throughout the evening, including these exciting talks and demonstrations:
- Find out about sensory science – get a glimpse into how our flavor experiences can be enhanced by stimulating all of our senses.
- Test your taste buds by taking part in a Taste Panel.
- Food labeling: Do you really know what you are buying? – The important things we should look at on food labels.
- What makes the perfect steak? How do we optimize tenderness in our steak?
- See how to measure the crunchiness of biscuits and how to count the holes in bread!
- See what gluten looks like; compare regular and gluten-free doughs.
- Learn about the Bioeconomy – supporting economic growth in a responsible and sustainable way
- How compounds extracted from Irish rapeseed meal can potentially improve heart health?
- What’s really inside an Irish breakfast sausage?
- A demonstration of how bacteria can be transferred from food to people and from person to person, highlighting the importance of keeping food poisoning bacteria out of our foods.
- What diseases affect our fruit and veg and how do we spot them and guard against them? Examine the culprits under the microscope.
- Examine examples of crop pests under the microscope and learn some of the new strategies used to control pests in crops
- Find out how Irish foresters are fighting back against Ash dieback disease to ensure we have a supply of hurleys into the future
- Entertainment from our band of Scientists, “The First Authors”.
There will be ample parking available. For those arriving by public transport or on foot, there will be a free Shuttle bus from Ashtown Roundabout (Halfway House car park) and Ashtown train station.
This year’s Science Week theme is ‘Science Rising’ – focusing on the progression of scientific technologies over the last 100 years in agriculture, food processing, nutrition, and food safety. Events throughout the week at Teagasc research centers will explore how traditional methods of the agri-food industry have developed over time and will showcase current technologies used in agri-food research. For full details of all Festival of Farming and Food events see: http://bit.ly/FarmandFood
