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Soy And Pork Mislabeling Incident

In # 4: Food allergens in the news by Axl

Dearborn Brand Sausage is undergoing a recall for their ready-to-eat wieners that were produced on August 7th, 2024. Dearborn Brand is a meat-based production company. This company is a family business that has been around for over 75 years that focuses mainly on franks, sausages, and hams. One their site, …

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Inulin as New Allergy Treatment

In # 4: Food allergens in the news by Bekki

A recent study from the University of Michigan has found that inulin could be a new treatment for food allergies. Inulin is a naturally occurring plant fiber found in over 36,000 plant species. Because it is a prebiotic, it is also used as a dietary supplement to increase fiber or …

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Undeclared Peanuts by Oreo

In # 4: Food allergens in the news by Pham

Recently, Whatever Brand, a company that is particularly known for its manufacturing, retailing, and producing foods and beverages in the United Kingdom (UK) was involved in a recall of Oreo products due to undeclared peanuts in several of their Oreo varieties such as Dark & White Chocolate, Strawberry Cream, Blueberry …

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New peanut allergy treatment?

In # 4: Food allergens in the news by Leo

In an article posted in May of this year, a medication called omalizumab was found to significantly reduce the risk of dangerous allergic reactions in patients with peanut and other common food allergies. Omalizumab is often used as an injectable prescription to treat moderate to severe asthma by preventing IgE …

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Beef, Chicken, Pork, Soy?

In # 4: Food allergens in the news by Wyatt

A Dearborn, MI sausage producer has had to recall nearly one ton of sausage after a case of cross contamination was positively identified. The Dearborn Sausage Company has issued a recall for their “Brookside Brand Fully Cooked Natural Casing Beef Wieners” and “Brookside Brand Natural Casing Fully Cooked Wieners”. The …

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Allergy-Free Alcohol? Real or Fake

In # 4: Food allergens in the news by Emily

A new trend in the alcohol beverage industry is labeling their products as being “allergy-free” and using this claim to charge more for their product. The article I found by Food & Wine breaks down the validity of these claims. The allergist consulted in the article points out that being …

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Does Mustard Contain Peanuts?

In # 4: Food allergens in the news by Elijah

Should people with a peanut allergy be considered with peanut butter? Recently, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has made an announcement advising people with peanut allergies to avoid eating food that may have mustard in it, as it might be contaminated with peanuts. This isn’t actually because mustard contains something …

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A Proposal to Reduce risk of Obesity

In # 3: Junk Food Dissuasion by Pham

The obesity pandemic has been emerged as one of the biggest pressing public health crises in the United States (US) since 1976 and still going on these days, along with increasing rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, and certain cancers. Furthermore, nowadays, consumers not only have to …

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The Fight over Obesity

In # 3: Junk Food Dissuasion by Elijah

                   Obesity has been a growing problem in the last several years, especially in the United States. Yet, obesity is not just a United States problem (although the United States is the most obese) but a global problem. Several other countries have tried various strategies to combat the obesity epidemic. …

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Edible Ballon

In # 2: Molecular Gastronomy by Anthony

In Chicago there is a restaurant called Alinea. I have been there with my family once and it is a wild experience. The desserts though were incredible. One being an edible toffee helium balloon and a dissected cheesecake. I highly recommend going if you haven’t.

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Edible Beef Tallow Candle

In # 2: Molecular Gastronomy by Bekki

There are lots of weird recipes in the ever evolving world of molecular gastronomy. One example that I found that may be practical are edible candles.  In a restaurant in London, England, the bread is served with a candle made from beef fat, gelatin, spices, and vinegar. When guests first …

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Transparent Pumpkin Pie

In # 2: Molecular Gastronomy by Alex

I first came across a YouTube tutorial for making transparent pumpkin pie in 2018. The idea was fascinating, but I still have yet to try it. Since it is the season of all things pumpkin spice, I decided it was a good recipe to share this season. It is a …

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Blueberry fish eggs

In # 2: Molecular Gastronomy by Elijah

Maybe not the craziest molecular gastronomy recipe ever, but I found a recipe for blueberry caviar that sounds good. To make blueberry caviar blueberries, sugar, and white wine are mixed over low heat for an hour. It is then drained through a muslin cloth overnight. The resulting mixture is then …

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Ultra Thin Shrimp Taco

In # 2: Molecular Gastronomy by Corinne

The strangest food I found created with molecular gastronomy techniques is the miniature shrimp taco. It is simple to create by layering ultra thin edible film on top of itself using egg wash as a glue to hold the edible film together and topping it off with nori flakes, shrimp …

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Edible Helium Balloon

In # 2: Molecular Gastronomy by Pham

Chef Mike Bagale of the Chicago restaurant Alinea, which has three Michelin stars, is credited with creating the edible helium balloon initially. The technique is rather easy to follow: essentially, he makes an edible helium balloon by mixing a lot of flavorful fruit essences with inverted sugars, then he pumps …

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Some Real Funky Cheese

In # 2: Molecular Gastronomy by Axl

Casu Marzu is a strange, Italian cheese. It’s a cultural dish that originates from Sardinia. Made from sheep’s milk and a unique aging process. Instead of letting the cheese sit in an enclosed space to become more flavorful, Casu Marzu is left outside to be swarmed with piophila casei, cheese …