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SAC Teaches Kyle Academy Pupils the Art of Good Taste

SAC News Release Ref. No: 11N42
Published: 04 Apr 2011

Pupils at Ayr’s Kyle Academy have been exploring how to take a healthy meal from concept to plate with the help of SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Food Scientist Lesley Howie.

As part of their Higher and Intermediate 2 Health and Food Technology course, the senior pupils had to develop a food product from an initial idea through to a prototype. The brief from the Scottish Qualifications Authority was to develop a dish for a ‘healthy options’ food range for children, encouraging their ‘five-a-day’ intake of fruit and vegetables.

Lesley helped the students to consider if they had met the brief and whether their products were likely to be successful in the marketplace. This involved subjecting the meal ideas - which included colourful pasta dishes, healthy variations on shepherd’s pie and an imaginative ‘tortilla Bolognese sombrero’ - to the rigours of sensory analysis.

Lesley ran a workshop where she used foods including ice cream to explain the importance of sensory assessment in evaluating the taste, texture, aroma and visual appeal of food products.

Pupil Alistair Blair said: “The sensory workshop at SAC’s Ayr Campus was very interesting and the ice cream tasting was fun! The information we got was also useful in helping me with my project for Higher Health and Food Technology.”

Lesley said: “This work is part of SAC’s ongoing engagement with school pupils on food science and technology topics and our forthcoming move to the new Riverside Campus in Ayr will provide us with the facilities to continue this kind of work.

“The food industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Scotland and has a high demand for graduates in roles such as food safety, food quality and new product development. Going by the enthusiasm of the Kyle Academy pupils, we may have one or two future industry experts in the making!”

Kyle Academy’s Principal Teacher of Home Economics Joyce Morrison said: “The sensory evaluation workshop run by Lesley is a fantastic resource, reinforcing what is taught in the classroom and making learning more relevant and fun. We hope to maintain and build on these existing links in the future.”

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News Release Issued By

Ms Jane Smernicki
Head of Communications
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4331

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