The aroma volatile compounds in tomatoes are strongly linked to taste and flavor. Commercial tomato varieties, however, generally lack flavor. Tomato breeding programs have therefore started to focus on increasing the flavor-enhancing volatiles, which can be more easily altered than the sugar content. Analytical efforts that identify key flavor…

Undergraduate students in an environmental chemistry laboratory course were taught QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe), a sample preparation procedure that is commonly used in pesticide laboratories involving an acetonitrile salt-out extraction of fresh produce samples followed by solid-phase dispersive cleanup using a…

For most people, coffee roasting is a mysterious process. Chemically, it's equally mysterious; the roasting process gives rise to over 800 compounds. The science of coffee, from seed to bean to cup of aromatic brew, includes multiple areas of science content for students, and actively engages them in many science and engineering practices. Ask…

Food security is one of the most pressing concerns of our times. Despite the vast opportunities, there is a shortage of skilled professionals in the food, agriculture, and plant sciences. Although most programs focused on addressing this concern have targeted students, we have often overlooked another critical group--the teachers. To address this…

Taking objects apart including old electronics, product packing, and living plants, helps children understand how things work. Documenting this "unbuilding" or "deconstructing" encourages children to first consider the entire object, then the parts, and finally, the purpose of the parts. This article provides a lesson based on…

Allelopathy plays crucial roles in invasive plant viability and agricultural production systems. However, there is no well-established hands-on learning activity to teach the concept of allelopathy. Nor is there an activity which allows students to gain knowledge about glucosinolates and their corresponding enzyme, myrosinase, which are present in…

This guide contains hands-on science activities to connect middle-school students to the traditional knowledge of their grandparents and elders. Because girls often lose interest in science at the middle-school level, and because women in some communities (especially in rural areas) are seldom involved in work with an obvious science basis, the…