UMA PARASAR
Do you ever wonder what makes some packaged foods and drinks taste great? Well, a chemist such as Uma Parasar might be the one to thank. Parasar is the director of Flavor, Strategy, and Innovation at International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. (IFF) in New Jersey. You can taste flavors her lab has created in all kinds of things—juices, yogurts, dietary supplements, potato chips, candy, and chocolate. As a toxicologist, Parasar is responsible for making sure the flavors her company makes are safe to eat and drink.
WHY DO YOU LIKE CHEMISTRY?
We humans are made up of chemicals and so is the natural world, as well as the materials-based world. Embracing chemistry helps us appreciate our amazing world and not fear it.
I wanted to be a chemist to solve problems. My specialty, toxicology, helps create a safe world. Arguably, toxicology is the oldest scientific discipline, as the earliest humans had to recognize which plants were safe to eat.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE FOOD CHEMICALS?
Yes, vanillin. It's the chemical responsible for the scent in vanilla—and one of the most widely used flavor in foods, including ice cream, pudding, and cookies.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Muse March-April 2025: Everything Is Chemical من Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Muse March-April 2025: Everything Is Chemical من Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
SO MESSY, IT'S CLEAN
Make your very own soap!
Making Medicine
FROM DISCOVERY ΤΟ DOCTORS
A WHIFF OF THE FUTURE
TEACHING AI TO SMELL FOR HEALTH, SAFETY— AND SHOPPING
CAROLYN BERTOZZI
CHEMIST AND MEDICAL RESEARCHER
The Air Around Us
WHAT'S IN AIR-AND WHY IT MATTERS
CREEPING, CRAWLING COLORS
Test the rainbow with two sweet experiments.
The magical Transformation of BREAD
HOW BAKERS TURN FLOUR INTO FRESH LOAVES
DISCARD DEVICE, EXPECT EXPLOSION. WAIT, WHAT?
Your phone shuts down randomly. You have to charge it constantly. And you can barely see the screen through a spiderweb of cracks. Time for a new cell phone. But what should you do with the old one? The number one rule: Never throw it in a trash can or recycle bin. It might start a fire or even blow up.
PIZZA FOR TWO (OR MORE)
It's time for a snack, and you and your pal are all set to share a pizza, with each of you getting half. When the pizza arrives, however, you find that the slices are not all the same size.
