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MY FUTURE SPECIALITY

I’m a second-year student of the Technological Faculty of Voronezh State University of Engineering Technologies. My future speciality is an engineer-technologist of Meat and Meat Products at a food enterprise. I consider my speciality to be one of the most interesting at our University. The students of our faculty study many different subjects such as: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Elements of Machines and Strength of Materials. To become qualified engineers we must know all the latest achievements in science and engineering. Now we are studying methods of meat processing, types of meat and meat products, the composition of meat, the history of meat production, the development of meat production in different countries, the meat processing equipment. We get to know how to produce bacon, sausage, frankfurters, ham and cured meats. We get acquainted with such technological processes as anesthetizing, slaughtering, dehairing, dressing, cutting, sorting of parts, ageing, drying, curing, smoking, cooling, freezing, packaging.

Besides getting basic and specialized knowledge we also do some theoretical and practical research in our field. We do experiments in labs of our university, make scientific reports, presentations and carry out projects, collect materials necessary for our future graduation paper under the guidance of our scientific supervisors. We can also take part in research through student’s scientific societies of our

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university. The results of students’ scientific work can be even published in our University’s “Conference Materials”.

Some students who are interested in research and are successful in their studies have all opportunities to be trained abroad or take part in students’ exchange programmes in such countries as China, Italy, Greece, Bolgaria and others.

The full Bachelor’s Degree course lasts four years. At the end of the course we’ll present our graduation papers and defend them before an examination board. In such a way we’ll get our degree in engineering and finally become graduates.

Many students take Master’s Degree course for another two years. Onle after that the best graduates are admitted to a post-graduate training course where they continue their researches to get the academic degree of Candidate of Technological Sciences corresponding to PhD, Doctor of Philosophy, abroad.

Besides studies, we get practical training at meat processing plants of Voronezh and Voronezh Region. We are introduced to the real production processes and latest achievements in meat industry to help us learn modern technological methods and handle the meat processing equipment. Of course, it will help us in future.

The teaching staff of our University do their best to educate highly qualified specialists for food and chemical industries. Our scientific supervisors together with their students do fruitful work to make better use of food technologies, they conduct fundamental studies in physics, chemistry, biology and so on. As a result of these research, different devices for food technology have been designed or improved, various modifications of installations have been developed and produced.

As for me, after graduating from university I am going to work at a food enterprise as an engineer or a foreman. I can also work at research institutes or at experimental offices and life science laboratories. Of course, it’s very difficult to find a good promising and well-paid job, for many reasons, but I hope for the best.

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JOBS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

My future profession is a biotechnological engineer. I consider this speciality to be one of the most interesting at our university. Now, biotechnologists have been continuously in demand in the employment market. Upon my graduation from our university I’d like to find a promising well-paid job at one of life science research laborotaries of our city or region as a biotechnologist.

What is biotechnology? Biotechnology is the science which studies the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives to make or modify products or processes for specific use in order to modify or improve the environment in which we live.

Modern biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to fight rare diseases, reduce our industrial wastes, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner and more efficient manufacturing processes.

Currently, there are more than 250 biotechnology health care products and vaccines available to patients, many for previously untreatable diseases. More than 18 million farmers around the world use agricultural biotechnology to increase yields, prevent damage from insects and pests and reduce farming's impact on the environment. Biorefineries test and refine technologies to produce biofuels and chemicals from renewable biomass, which can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Recent advances in biotechnology may help us to solve most of serious global problems.

To become a good biotechnologist it is required to have a significantly high level of training, which can be obtained at higher educational institutions, for example at our VSUET.

In order to ensure qualification in biotechnology, our Bachelor course focuses on a combination of the natural science education with the profound knowledge of biotechnological processes.

It’s very important for future biotechnologists to have a strong knowledge base in chemistry, biology, physics, computer science and

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mathematics as well as good practical skills in microbiology, virology and biochemistry.

As for necessary practical skills biotechnologists should be able to study genetic, chemical and physical properties of cells, tissues, organisms and other living systems, to identify applications for this knowledge, to collect and record findings, to analyse research data obtained, to perform tests or experiments, to draw graphs and charts in a medical or diagnostic laboratory setting and to work with lab technicians on the research subject, to develop new research procedures and new biotechnological products, for example, genetically modified foods. Besides, it is also important to be good at computer engineering and foreign languages to work with scientific information.

Potential areas of employment upon graduation include the following spheres:

•Food Engineering (process and plant design, improvement, modification, automation, food safety and quality and food packaging);

•Agriculture;

•Animal Husbandry;

•Environment Conservation;

•Genetic Engineering;

•Health Care;

•Medicine;

•Pharmaceutical Engineering;

•Industrial Research and Development (Bioprocessing).

BLOOD TYPE DIET

The Blood Type Diet, popularized by the best-selling book Eat Right for Your Type by Peter D’Adamo, is based on the theory that people with different blood types respond differently to specific foods. Dr. D’Adamo’s ideas are rooted in evolutionary history, and, specifically, the observation that different blood types (Type O, Type A, Type B, and Type AB) emerged as the environmental conditions and eating styles of our ancestors changed. Between 50,000 BC and 25,000 BC, all humans shared the same blood type – Type O. These early humans were skilled hunters, and thrived on a meat-based diet. The Type A blood type emerged between 25,000 BC and 15,000 BC, a necessary

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adaptation to a more agrarian lifestyle. Climatic changes in the western Himalayan mountains led to the appearance of Type B, and the blending of Type A and Type B blood types in modern civilization resulted in the appearance of the Type AB blood type. Dr. D’Adamo believes that our ancestors’ successful adaptation to environmental changes hinged on the relationship between diet and blood type. As a result, he believes that the key to optimal health is to eat as our ancestors with the same blood type ate. For example, D’Adamo recommends that people with Type O blood eat a diet rich in meat and people with Type A blood follow a grainbased, low-fat, vegetarian diet. In the Blood Type Diet, foods are divided into 16 categories: meats and poultry; seafood; dairy and eggs; oils and fats; nuts and seeds; beans and legumes, cereals, breads and muffins; grains and pasta; vegetables; fruit; juices and fluids; spices; condiments; herbal teas; and miscellaneous beverages. Foods in these categories are then labeled as «highly beneficial», «neutral», or «avoid» according to each of the four blood types.

Many people follow this diet to improve their overall level of health. Although weight management is not the focus of the diet, Dr. D’Adamo believes that weight loss is a natural consequence of following a diet tailored to your blood type.

Dr. D’Adamo has spent years researching the physiological effects of substances called lectins. Lectins are proteins found in many commonly eaten foods, particularly the seeds of leguminous plants; they can be absorbed intact from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. According to Dr. D’Adamo, certain lectins are incompatible with certain blood types. The incompatibility allegedly causes the lectin to attract and clump red blood cells, a process known as agglutination. Dr. D’Adamo blames lectin-caused agglutination as the origin of many common health complaints. Dr. D’Adamo has tested most common foods for bloodtype reactions. He organized the results of this testing into food lists that allow people to avoid eating foods containing lectins that are incompatible with their blood type.

Some physicians and nutritionists argue that Dr. D’Adamo’s theory about lectins lacks solid scientific support. These critics point out that the research that has been done on lectins has been performed mostly in test tubes. Therefore, it is not yet known what, if any, physiological effects lectins have in humans. Furthermore, many food

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lectins are destroyed by cooking and/or digestive enzymes, so many critics argue that the number of lectins absorbed intact through the digestive system is minimal. Other critics point out that Dr. D’Adamo’s emphasis on the ABO blood-typing system is somewhat arbitrary. In a book review, Alan Gaby, MD, points out that the ABO system is only one of many different blood-typing methods, and to date, more than 30 unique markers have been identified on the surface of red blood cells. Consequently, if Dr. D’Adamo had based his diet on a different marker, his diet recommendations may have been very different.

Most critics believe the diet is associated with no real health hazards. However, critics caution that people with Type O blood may increase their risk of heart disease by adhering to Dr. D’Adamo’s Type O diet recommendations.

Although most critics concede that the Blood Type Diet produces weight loss in some people, they argue that this diet is merely a calorierestricted diet. As with any other low calorie diet, weight loss is likely to occur.

HEALTHY EATING WITH THE SEASONS

Seasons form the natural backdrop for eating. All of the World’s Healthiest Foods are seasonal. Imagine a vegetable garden in the dead of winter. Now imagine this same garden on a sunny, summer day. How different things are during these two seasons of the year! For ecologists, seasons are considered a source of natural diversity. Changes in growing conditions from spring to summer or fall to winter are considered essential for balancing the earth’s resources and its life forms. But today it’s so easy for us to forget about seasons when we eat! Modern food processing and worldwide distribution of food make foods available year-round, and grocery stores shelves look much the same in December as they do in July.

In a research study conducted in 1997 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in London, England, significant differences were found in the nutrient content of pasteurized milk in summer versus winter. Iodine was higher in the winter; beta-carotene was higher in the summer. The Ministry discovered that these differences in milk composition were primarily due to differences in the

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diets of the cows. With more salt-preserved foods in winter and more fresh plants in the summer, cows ended up producing nutritionally different milks during the two seasons. Similarly, researches in Japan found three-fold differences in the vitamin C content of spinach harvested in summer versus winter.

Eat seasonally! To enjoy the full nourishment of food, you must make you menu a seasonal one. In different parts of the world, and even in different regions of one country, seasonal menus can vary. But here are some overriding principles you can follow to ensure optimal nourishment in every season:

ØIn spring, focus on tender, leafy vegetables that represent the fresh new growth of this season. The greening that occurs in springtime should be represented by greens on your plate, including Swiss chard, spinach, Romaine lettuce, fresh parsley, and basil.

ØIn summer, stick with light, cooling foods in the tradition of traditional Chinese medicine. These foods include fruits like strawberries, apple, pear, and plum; vegetables like summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and corn; and spices and seasonings like peppermint and cilantro.

ØIn fall, turn toward the more warming, autumn harvest foods, including carrot, sweet potato, onions, and garlic. Also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger, peppercorns, and mustard seeds.

ØIn winter, turn even more exclusively toward warming foods. Remember the principle that foods taking longer to grow are generally more warming than foods that grow quickly. All of the animal foods fall into the warming category including fish, chicken, beef, lamb, and venison. So do most of the root vegetables, including carrot, potato, onions and garlic. Eggs also fit in here, as do corn and nuts.

In all seasons, be creative! Let the natural backdrop of spring, summer, fall and winter be your guide.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD

The 20th of November 1997 became a special day in the history of the Science Museum in London. On that day a new exhibition on Future

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Foods – to show how genetically modified foods are made, what concerns some people have and what benefits such foods offer – was opened there.

In today’s busy world convenience and technology go hand in hand. Mobile phones, microwaves…the fruits of scientific research are everywhere. Food scientists are also «doing their bit», working constantly to provide improved food products. The latest arrivals on the scene are so-called «designer foods» – foods which genetically modified or contain genetically modified ingredients. These foods are increasingly finding their way onto supermarket shelves.

All living things contain genes. We inherit them from our parents. Genes are the «blueprints» that carry the information for proteins that are the building blocks of all the structures and functions that make up the body of all organisms, from bacteria to humans. Genes and the proteins they make have coevolved together to form an extremely complex network of finely-balanced functions, which scientists are only just beginning to understand.

Unlike normal methods of reproduction, genetic modification is done in the laboratory by cutting, joining and transferring genes between totally unrelated living things. As a result, combinations of genes which would never occur naturally are produced.

Everyone has heard of Dolly the sheep and experiments in the medical field, but genetic modification is also happening in the food industry. It is possible to isolate and transfer different characteristics between unrelated species or between plants and animals. For example, the introduction of an «anti-freeze» gene from an Arctic fish into tomatoes or strawberries made them resistant to frost.

Around 40 % of the world’s total crop production is lost to pests and diseases, despite the heavy use of pest-killing chemicals. Cauliflower is no exception, and suffers damage from aphids and other insects. Scientists have looked to nature to find a solution to this problem and discovered that snowdrops are able to survive attacks from some of the most devastating pests. Snowdrops produce a substance called lectin, which affects insects by interfering with their digestive systems. The task is to transfer the gene for lectin production, and thus the property of insect resistance, into cauliflowers.

It is known that tomatoes, carrots and peppers are all rich in carotenoids, which help prevent cancer and coronary heart disease. To

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make things easier for us, scientists are working to produce vegetables that are genetically modified to contain increased carotenoid levels. They have already succeeded in creating tomatoes with more than three times the normal «anti-cancer» power.

When salmon were modified with the gene for cold resistance from the flounder fish, they grew 10 times as fast as normal salmon because the inserted gene had inherited with their growth hormone gene. A pig was modified with a human gene to make it grow faster and leaner. But these efforts have resulted in numerous problems and serious diseases among the experimental animals.

People have different points of view about whether the genetic modification of food is a good thing – in fact it is quite a controversial topic. Those involved in the biotechnology business insist it is safe and that genetic modification can increase yields, reduce waste and improve the flavour and keeping qualities of products. For example, soft fruits can be made firmer to prevent spoilage during transportation. People in favour of genetic modification also say that better use can be made of agricultural land as crops can potentially be modified to grow in hostile conditions, such as those of a drought; this will help in feeding the world. The latter is a vital issue. The same goes for improving the nutritional value of foods. More than 800 million people still go hungry, and 82 countries (half of them in Africa) neither grow enough food, nor can afford to import it. In India alone, 85 % of children under five live below the normal, acceptable state of nutrition.

This science is too new to guarantee that problems will not occur in the future. When moved from one species to another, genes can create new unknown dangers. Once released into the natural environment, genetically modified plants interbreed with those in the wild. The spread of modified genes from one organism to another in the wild is technically termed «a gene flow». It has already led to the creation of new strains of «superweeds» that are resistant to herbicides. Perhaps most worrying of all, there is no way of recalling a genetic modification. Once released into the environment, genetic pollution cannot be cleaned up; it will survive so long as there is life on Earth. The environment will be irreversibly altered. Natural plants and animals could be driven out.

Mistakes have already been made in genetic engineering. Use of genetically modified bacteria in the food supplement Tryptophan may

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have caused 37 deaths in the USA since 1989 as well as permanently disabling thousands of people.

A company called Pioneer Hi-Bred developed a variety of genetically modified soya spliced with a Brazil nut gene to increase its protein content. When it was discovered that individuals allergic to Brazil nuts also reacted to the modified soya, the company had to withdraw the product.

VITAMINS

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on the circumstances and the particular organism.

Vitamins are classified by their biological and chemical activity, not their structure. Thus, each «vitamin» may refer to several vitamer compounds that all show the biological activity associated with a particular vitamin. Such a set of chemicals are grouped under an alphabetized vitamin «generic descriptor» title, such as «vitamin A», which includes the compounds retinal, retinol, and many carotenoids. Vitamers are often inter-convertible in the body. The term vitamin does not include other essential nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, or essential amino acids, nor does it encompass the large number of other nutrients that promote health but are otherwise required less often.

Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions, including function as hormones (e.g. vitamin D), antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E), and mediators of cell signaling and regulators of cell and tissue growth and differentiation (e.g. vitamin A). The largest number of vitamins (e.g. B complex vitamins) function as precursors for enzyme cofactor biomolecules (coenzymes), that help act as catalysts and substrates in metabolism. When acting as part of a catalyst, vitamins are bound to enzymes and are called prosthetic groups. For example, biotin is part of enzymes involved in making fatty acids. Vitamins also act as coenzymes to carry chemical groups between enzymes. For example, folic acid carries various forms of carbon group – methyl, formyl and methylene – in the cell. Although these roles in assisting enzyme reactions are

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