Reinforcing nutrition and core science fundamentals through a multi‐semester research project
Authors: Clark William Andrew , Johnson Michelle E 
Published: November 2023

The creation of functional foods and innovations in food processing with the goal of improving health are becoming more commonplace. Our experience has been that conceptually, students have difficulty understanding how foods are analyzed for nutrient content and how recipe modifications can influence the content and availability of nutrients. As a result, teaching concepts related to research methodology and manipulation of food ingredients to affect a change in nutritional quality is challenging. Students report that information is too abstract and they are unsure how it relates to their future dietetics practice or nutrition related field. To provide a meaningful, hands‐on experience, we linked two classes (Experimental Foods and Research Methods in Nutrition) with a research project that spans two semesters. In Experimental Foods, teams of students modify a recipe through manipulation of fat (either lower or healthier fat), protein (quantity and/or quality), carbohydrate source, and/or antioxidant level. Students practice innovation through experimental design, as they prepare modified recipes in the food laboratory. Products are subjected to organoleptic evaluation, and results are presented in a research report and poster presentation. Students develop a theoretical calculated nutrition label using published nutrition values of ingredients used in preparing the test recipes. Recipe aliquots are freeze dried, ground to a course powder, and stored for laboratory analysis. Student teams are maintained through the analytical phase of the project in the Research Methods in Nutrition class. In the nutritional biochemistry laboratory, students utilize analytical techniques to determine calorie content (bomb calorimetry), protein % (Kjeldahl analysis), fat % (Soxhlet extraction), inorganic content (ashing oven), antioxidant profile (FRAP analysis), and lipid profile (gas chromatography) of the control and modified foods developed. From the analytical data collected, students synthesize findings, calculate carbohydrate content, and develop a food label that is compared to the hypothesized label created the previous semester. Students reconcile differences between book‐value calculated and laboratory‐derived nutrient content analysis and hypothesize potential reasons if results differ substantially. Student involvement in developing modified recipes, calculating theoretical nutrient content, and analyzing foods for nutrient content using laboratory procedures creates learning opportunities that are difficult to create with classroom lecture alone. When we decided to link the laboratory experiences to optimize student learning outcomes we did not realize how effectively this technique would reinforce nutrition and core science fundamentals. Nutrition professionals are committed to providing evidenced‐based care. To become effective practitioners, students must have a thorough understanding of the research process, the relationship between the science of food preparation and the effects of modification of foods on consumer acceptance, the nutrient content and availability of nutrients, and how the body utilizes these nutrients.