Uma Parasar Food Chemist
Muse Science Magazine for Kids|September 2018

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 a senior research fellow with the research and development flavors team at International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. (IFF). You can taste flavors her lab has created in all kinds of things—juices, yogurts, candy, potato chips, and chocolate. Specifically, as a toxicologist, Parasar is responsible for making sure the flavors her company makes are safe to eat and drink.

- Peg Lopata
Uma Parasar Food Chemist

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 and cookies.

HOW DO CHEMISTS CREATE FLAVORS IN A LAB?

この蚘事は Muse Science Magazine for Kids の September 2018 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Muse Science Magazine for Kids の September 2018 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

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