Microbes Make for a Magnificent Meal
While the 300-level biology course is offered every fall, students this year celebrated the end of the semester by putting microbes on the dinner menu. Dr. Regenia Campbell, assistant professor of biology teaches the course and organized the dinner, which featured a variety of foods made possible by the action of bacteria, yeasts and fungi.
Dr. Campbell said food is a big part of how she interacts with the world and spends her free time cooking, eating, and watching documentaries. “I wanted to share this with the students in a way that also connected what we were learning in class. Microbiology is a natural fit for this because bacteria, yeasts, and molds are used so much for preservation and flavor production.”
Another outcome for Dr. Campbell was building a connection with her students outside of the classroom. “I was also hoping that some of the things we talked about in class might naturally come up as a conversation and that my students would see the usefulness in the course material other than passing their exams. I was pleased to hear conversations about preservation techniques, different types of microorganisms, and immune responses throughout the evening.”
The foods ranged from familiar to the fermented. Several kinds of cheese were featured, along with pickles and kimchi. Sourdough bread, miso fried rice, and drinks including kombucha, fermented cider, and sake were also available for participants to try. The most magnificent microbe? The chocolate cake of course—cocoa powder is made from fermented and roasted beans of the cacao plant.
Microbiology Dinner
-
Students load their plate full of food made with microbes. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner, including a variety of pickles and salami. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner, including a variety of breads. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner, including a variety of breads. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner, including a variety of cheeses. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner, including black garlic pasta. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner, including miso fried rice. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner. -
A sampling of foods from the dinner.
“It was a really fun experience and I learned a lot about microorganisms and food,” said E&H junior, Grayson Rountree.
The gathering was held at the Bartlett-Crowe Field Station. Director Dr. Laura Hainsworth said, “I was hoping that the students would be bold enough to try foods that they may never have encountered before—and they were!”
Open gallery
“It was a really fun experience and I learned a lot about microorganisms and food.”
-E&H junior, Grayson Rountree