a) Principles of Biochemistry
In this module, I learnt about different metabolism cycles in our body. They were very interesting and challenging. I can say that this the hardest and most time consuming subject for this semester. Although things were very hard, but learning with a great teacher makes the whole module more meaningful. I was taught to draw mind maps to connect all the different pathways. At first i thought this step wasn't necessary. But recently I noticed that the mind map processes were very helpful. They have taught me to connect the different end products from the first pathway to the second one.
This subject can actually teach us how food is digested and used in our body.
In relation to food science, Glucano delta lactone is found in energy or sport drinks. This product is actually a derivative from pentose phosphate pathway. The end products produced are pyruvate and glyceraldehyde phosphate. This actually enhance energy producing in our body as less steps are taken to turn into pyruvate rather than just using glucose solely. This is what i think, I'm not sure but it may be true somehow :P
b) Physical and Inorganic Chemistry
In this module, I learnt about how different structures of compound affects its reactivity and physical structure and properties. I find this module very important, as a core to taking food chemistry in my next semester. Example such as chelating agent :) Chelating agent can either enhances reactivity or inhibits reactivity.
This module can be very interesting but I still do not really like chemistry. I think this is because that it requires a lot of memorising and I am bad at it haha :P
c) Introduction to Microbiology
This is something very new to me :) I got to culture E.coli and do spread plate, strike, and pour plate. The practicals were very fun. I also got to view different microorganisms under the microscope and perform different biochemical test to determine their species. This is also one of the core subjects if you are taking food science course.
d) Kitchen Operation 1
This module is quite interesting. Other universities do not provide this module. In this module, we learn how to handle food in kitchen. We also learn how to cook like a first semester culinary students. Overall this module provides us with experiences. I really like this module although it is not quite related to food science course.
I took french for my elective. It was really fun and challenging. This module gives me an escape from all those science subjects. I learnt to read, speak and write at beginners level :) I would like to learn more french in future :P
f) Introduction to Halal Food
This is another elective I took for this semester. This module gives me an introduction to what halal food means. Halal food is emerging and getting important internationally. This is because it has stringent processes during audits which makes the halal certificate harder to obtain. Thus, producing a quality guarantee food :) Therefore, this is a very important subject for food scientist :)
