Event/ Tour Recaps
2011 Valentine’s day Preview
The UBC Food Science club celebrated Valentine’s day by making Valentine’s Soup!
Each soup can contained various chocolates and candies, a cute little poem, a coupon, and possibly a pair of movie tickets.
It took great effort to make these cans, and the executives of the Food Science club worked hard on them!
Thanks to everyone who purchased a can to support the UBC Food Science Club! 
The Food Science club also collaborated with the new Cooking club to create a chocolate coconut macaroon workshop. Cathy from the Cooking club did a quick demonstration on how to make these delicious cookies, while Nicole and Lissa presented the food science behind chocolate and macaroons.
Although they do not look the most appetizing… they sure were delicious. I hope everyone had a great time at our workshop! We will have one more workshop before the school term ends.
For more pictures, check out our flickr!!!!
___________________________________
Superior Tofu Review and Christmas Social
The UBC Food Science Club toured Superior Tofu on December 21st, 2011. Thanks to Joanna and Clinton for allowing us to tour this family owned business. It was a very interesting and unforgettable tour.
Unfortunately, the details of the tour are confidential, and cameras were not allowed inside the factory. But we would also like to send thanks to our members to coming out to tour Superior Tofu.
We had the luxury of trying 3 different flavours of tofu after the tour was complete.
After the tour at Superior Tofu, we headed to the Food Science Club’s 2011 Christmas social at Red Robins!
Several prizes were won by our members. We also played a couple ice-breaker games. I hope everyone who came out enjoyed themselves and felt a stronger connection to the members of the Food Science Club.
For a few more pictures, check out our flickr!
___________________________________
Yogurt Workshop
On November 23rd, we had our second workshop of the year. We made plain yogurt that I hoped everyone enjoyed. UBC Food Science Club would like to thank MDRA (Marine Drive Residence Association) for sponsoring this event and allowing us to use their kitchen space.
Here’s the recipe to the yogurt we made:
Ingredients:
1L Milk
1/4 cup skim milk powder
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Equipment:
Ice water
Thermometer
Ladle/whisk
Large stainless steel pot
Instructions:
1. Sterilize your equipment. You can either boil all utensils in hot water, or wash them very well with soap and water.
2. Measure out the yogurt in a bowl and set it aside.
3. In a large stainless steel pot, warm the milk over medium heat until 80C. Stir gently to prevent scorching on the bottom. Turn off heat and cover for 5 minutes.
4. Place large pot into a cold water bath to cool milk as quickly as possible to 46C. Stir and whisk while doing this to speed up the cooling.
5. Once cooled, add the skim milk powder into the large pot, mix.
6. Add a ladle of cooled milk into the yogurt, and stir to remove any clumps. Then add it into the large pot, mix. Let it sit for 5 minutes
7. Pour into containers and cover it. Incubate for 4-6 hours (ideally between 38C and 52C). Then refrigerate it overnight and enjoy!
Voila, you have just made plain yogurt! You can flavour it however way you want it. Add fruits, syrups, jam, honey, sugar… anything you like!
Don’t forget to check out the pictures on our flickr.
___________________________________
Purdy’s chocolate tour
On November 15, 2011, which is today, we had our second tour this year at the Purdy’s Chocolate factory on Kingsway! Here is little back ground history on Purdy’s Chocolate: Purdy’s Chocolate is a 100% Canadian based, family owned chocolatier company that started its business here in Vancouver in 1907. It has over 100 years of experience in refining chocolates and producing high quality products. Currently, they have over 40 stores across Canada, all of which are company owned, not franchised. They only sell their products in Canada and do not export their goodies to other countries. However, the ones they sell on their website can be shipped to all over the world.
We like to thank you Janet, Silvie and Gary who took time to give us a tour around their production plant after their regular work time. Gary is the head chocolatier in Purdy’s and he’s been with the company for over 18 years. Gary is responsible for designing new products and is involved in a committee that decides what new products should be placed on the market every year.
During the tour, they showed us their chocolate refining process from chocolate blending, ingredient (i.e. cream, sugar, milk) mixing to tempering, moulding, hand decorating, hand/machine packaging and storing.
Purdy’s do not make their chocolate from raw cocoa beans; they purchase chocolates from suppliers and refine chocolates by blending different proportions of dark, milk and white chocolates.
Ever wonder how the soft center of cherry cordials is made?? I think the food science students should’ve learned in class by now! It is made by spraying the cherry filling with the enzyme invertase that breaks sucrose down to glucose and fructose and during that process water is produced (remember organic chem??)!!! Then it is coated with chocolate! It takes about 10days for the enzyme to completely break down the sucrose and in 10 days, the center will become soft and more liquidly!
As for the packaging, a lot of their products are still manually packaged (such as their sweet Georgia browns goodies). Products such as the Christmas themed chocolate Novelties are machine packages.
During the tour, we are not allowed to take picture in the production areas….but I found a blogging website that has pictures taken in the production areas…the ones who missed the tour can take a look at this website!
At the end of the tour, we got to try out some chocolates, including sweet Georgia browns (pecans with caramel and milk chocolate), Turona (their new product in market in 2011, it’s a MUST try!!!) and eggnog truffle (new; in the center is a blend of white chocolate, eggnog, cinnamon, nutmeg and Jamaican rum, covered with chocolate)!
Lastly, the exec team hopes that those who attended this tour enjoyed the tour and learned about chocolate production! And everyone is feeling happy and sweet after the tour!
For those who missed the fun this time, don’t worry, we have more tours and workshops coming up! Come join us and have FUN!! Cheers ^^
___________________________________
Que Pasa Tour
On October 20th and 21st,2011, the club held its first tour at Que Pasa Mexican Foods! Que Pasa began as a deli, and as demand for their products increased (tortillas and tortilla chips and salsa), they moved to a larger facility where they now produce and distribute their products all over North America. A member from the Quality Assurance department, Elaine, took us on a 45 minute tour of their tortillas and tortilla chips food processing plants. Unfortunately, members who went on the Friday tour (Oct 21st) were unable to watch the production process as it happened, but members who went on Thursday were able to see the production of tortilla chips first hand.
Elaine started off the tour by showing us the product testing lab, where tortilla samples are tested each day to ensure that they meet the product quality standards set by the company. Next, we were led into the production area, where Elaine went over the process of how tortilla chips are made, starting from when they receive the corn to when the finished products are stored and distributed. The corn is cooked for several hours at high temperatures before being stone-ground into dough, called “masa”. Stone-grounding is a traditional method that produces dough of higher quality compared to other cooking methods. It was especially interesting to watch the product as they rolled into the deep fryer on a conveyer belt, and emerge as tortilla chips, which are then packaged into the brown bags of tortilla chips that we see on shelves at grocery stores. Surrounded by the delicious smell of tortilla products, we also learned about the equipment used in the process, and the origins of their corn. Next, we went to the warehouse, where all the products destined for distribution as well as products that the company has imported from Mexico were stored. These imported Mexican products are sold in Que Pasa’s deli, which is adjacent to the food processing plant.
To conclude the tour, Elaine brought us down to the deli, where Mexican foods such as tacos, quesadillas and salsa could be purchased and consumed in the store. Members really enjoyed looking at the isles of Mexican candy, spices and other sauces that are often used in Mexican cuisine!
The exec team would like to say a big thank you to Elaine for the interesting Que Pasa tour, and also to all the members who came out to this event!
___________________________________
Candy Workshop
There was a great turnout to our first workshop of the year. And we hoped that everyone that attended enjoyed the candy that they made. However, for those who could not attend, this is what happened on that day!
First, our new officer, Lissa, gave a small presentation about candy making! She discussed what is crystalline and non-crystalline candy, then described how corn syrup and cream of tartar can act as interfering agents during candy making. Due to constraints of time, she could not demonstrate the candy making; but she did review over the methods.
Groups of 3 or 4 then began to make caramel and lollipops! How exciting!
This is the caramel that one group made. It is important for caramel to reach the ‘firm-ball’ temperature in order for it to firm up (but still malleable). This turned out very very tasty!
Next, we made lemon flavoured lollipops (although the lemon extract was not very strong, a hint of lemon was still present). Due to the lack of thermometers available, lollipops were a bit more difficult to master compared to caramel. There were some groups that has a few mishaps (oops!), however everything turned out sweet and delicious in the end.
Although the lollipops are not aesthetically pleasing… it still tasted good. :)
For more pictures, check our event photos in the link above!!
___________________________________
2010 Work Shops
DAIRY PROCESSING WORKSHOP
If you missed the club’s yogurt making workshop or you want to learn to make farmer’s cheese (paneer) or both: Attend this instructional workshop that will look at the processes involved in both yogurt and fresh cheese making. Get first-hand experience making these tasty acidified dairy products with common household implements. Participants will make their own yogurt and paneer to take home and enjoy.
LEAVENING SCIENCE 101
That’s right—we’re making dough! Join the UBC Food Science Clubas we explore the additives used to leaven baked products. Come join us to make a loaf of bread you can take home for your very own. We will be baking with yeast, Jay’s specialty, but rest assured, there will also be illuminating information on chemical leaveners.
LEAVENING SCIENCE 102 · SWEET TREATS
Could I be wrong in saying that everyone loves cinnamon rolls? Come and learn how you can make these sweet treats at home and study at the same time! Get a refresher on yeast leavening and learn about caramelization and the Maillard reaction.
MAKE YOGURT!
Anybody interested in making yogurt? Learn what happens on a chemical and microbiological level when a bacterial culture ferments milk.
___________________________________
2010 Tours
OKANAGAN WINE TOUR
Spend a lovely and informative weekend on a wine tour of the Okanagan Valley. Jay Martiniuk, UBC Food Science Club Vice-president and FNH 330 Wine Science TA, will share his knowledge and experience of wine making and wine appreciation. We will visit Stoneboat Vineyards, and others which have yet to be confirmed, and stay the night at the luxurious Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos on Saturday.
Work hard to stay up-to-date with your schoolwork and let this be a weekend of fresh air, fun and wine appreciation!
JJ BEAN COFFEE ROASTING TOUR
If you’re like me, when someone mentions coffee, you think of JJ Bean and how good the coffee is and how there are never any seats left in their hip cafes when you arrive. Consider yourself a VIP and join the UBC Food Science Club and BCFT for a tour of JJ Bean’s coffee roasting facility at Powell and Victoria during the Reading Break (Tuesday, February 15 at noon). Learn about the ethics of sourcing coffee beans, the philosophy behind JJ Bean’s business, production aspects of roasting and enjoy a sensory evaluation afterwards.
PURDY’S CHOCOLATES FACTORY TOUR
If there is one thing I would never turn down it is a free tour of Purdy’s chocolate plant! Come and meet up with the other Food Sci kids and the BCFT kids for the lowdown on how all those delicious and pretty confections are made. We will tour the chocolate production, packing and warehouse areas. Topics of discussion include quality assurance and food safety, technical aspects of chocolate making and logistics. We will be permitted to sample some of Purdy’s fine chocolates. Yumma!
WEST COAST U BREW GROUP BEER BREWING
“U Brewing” is an activity where we choose the beer recipe we want to make from a menu, West Coast U Brew brews the wort, conditions, and cold filters it for us and then approximately two weeks later, we go in and bottle it. We will get a short tour/presentation of the facility and hopefully, the scientific principals of beer fermentation. Then, we take it home and drink it! You must be 19 years old or older to participate; we will ask you to present valid ID before we accept payment for any alcoholic beverages.
___________________________________
Other Events
VALENTINE SOUP FUNDRAISER
February is Valentine Soup month! The UBC Food Science Club is fundraising by selling sealed tin cans containing a variety of chocolate and candy treats and a cute handmade bag, labelled with a neat Campbell’s Soup-looking label for $8 each. Take a look at them in our website banner-cool, huh? Unfortunately, there are only a few left but you can get them by emailing us or buying them here. (WHOA! THEY ARE GONE!).
NETWORKING & INVOLVEMENT WORKSHOP
UBC Food Science Club is holding the Food Science Networking and Involvement Workshop. Enjoy refreshments as Reena Mistry and Kimberley Rawes describe successful networking techniques and identify the many opportunities available particularly for Food Science majors. You will practice using your new networking techniques during the workshop with your peers and gain confidence!
BCFT SPEAKER’S NIGHT
BCFT will be hosting its annual Speaker’s Night, formerly known as Student’s Night. This is a special opportunity to network and learn with BCFT professionals. This year, Dr. Yemi Ogunrinola and Dr. Rick Holley will offer their insights on the Canadian food industry.
IFT WEBCAST ON HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
IFT will be webcasting a presentation examining the costs of switching from HFCS to sugar. Presenters, David Guilfoule from Half Baked Innovations and Thomas Earley from Promar International will address questions such as: Can switching sweetening ingredients impact costs for food and beverage product developers? Does switching pay off at the retail level? This webcast will examine formulary, labor, and sanitation expenses, plus capital expenses and the possible costs associated with the environmental implications of switching sweeteners.
