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These Virtual Labs help students learn basic laboratory techniques and practice methods used by lab technicians and researchers in a variety of careers, using specific food science lab processes.

It is easy for consumers to take safe food for granted: as most people don’t understand the rigorous testing, research and assessment food and food processing requires. Healthy, safe food is of extreme importance and vital to human survival. Expert lab technicians help make sure that the food we eat and feed to our animals will not harm us or our livestock.

Explore the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum and incorporate hands-on laboratory experiments, discussion guides and more. Developed by SDSU Extension. http://igrow.org/healthy-families/food-safety/food-safety-scientist/

beaker on scale to be weighed
Measruing liquid with pipette
  • Bacteria Sampling

    Testing milk samples for bacterial contamination with various disposable lab equipment.
dropping 95% alcohol solution on slide
  • Gram Staining

    Using gram staining to test the yogurt sample for bacterial contamination.
view sample under microscope
  • Using the Microscope

    Learning to use the microscope to view what type of bacteria is contaminating the yogurt sample.
pH scale and salsa ingredients pH level
beaker of salsa testing pH level
salt molecule
water level testing in food sample