Biography: Dr. Daniela
Barile received her degrees in the area of Pharmaceutical
Chemistry and Food Science from the Piemonte Orientale University
(Italy). She is currently a Post-Doctoral researcher in the Food
Science Department (Prof. German) and her research interests include
the biological properties of milk bioactive components (glycoproteins
and oligosaccharides) in relation to intestinal endogenous microflora.
Using advanced mass spectrometric instruments Dr. Barile identified
valuable prebiotic carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) in whey permeate, a
by-product of whey utilization and also in other dairy products. She is
also in charge of the collaborations between UCDavis and a research
center in Ireland (Teagasc-Moorepark) and in Italy (Piemonte Orientale
University). Previous positions have been with the National Italian
Association of Milk Producers and the Drugs and Food Biotechnology
Center (Novara, Italy) where she was in charge of defining parameters
for food safety and food authenticity using Multivariate Statistical
Analysis.
Presentation Title: Exotic Foods from Around the
World
Many food delicacies have origins that would generally be considered
repulsive. However, many food connoisseurs have decided to overlook
these unusual origins and pay very high prices to enjoy these exotic
food products. For example, an Indonesian coffee that has been digested
previously by civets (Kopi Luwak coffee) costs $600 per pound and is
presumed to be the most expensive beverage in the world. How about a
golden oil made from a nut excreted by a tree-climbing Moroccan goat?
Or an Italian cheese filled with live maggots that jump at your
face even while you try to eat it? What about a soup containing a
bird's nest from Malaysia, made from the saliva of the swiftlet
bird? Or a caviar made from the eggs of black ants? In this
presentation we will explore the universe of bizarre foods to satisfy
curiosity..if not your appetite!
