Name Date Page 1

Extended Informational Reading Comprehension

Food Science
Directions: Read the passage about food science.
Then answer the questions that follow.
1 Neat rows of bagged coffee, stacks of gleaming red
peppers and ripe avocados, and refrigerators lined with
fresh orange juice and milk一it's the middle of winter in
Anchorage, Alaska, with snowdrifts outside, yet these
and other foods are all available for purchase. Many of
us take for granted that almost any type of food can be
found in our local grocery stores year-round. However,
the many complex systems that make this fresh food
consistently available are all part of a larger discipline
called food science.
2 Arguably, food science has been around since humans Image 1: Advances in food science mean
that fresh fruits and vegetables can be
first figured out how to domesticate plants and animals
available year-round all over the world.
thousands of years ago. These practices allowed our
ancestors to survive difficult conditions by giving them
more control over their food sources. Today, many fields of food science exist to address current
food needs and preferences. Fields such as microbiology, engineering, chemistry/biochemistry, and
sensory analysis play vital roles in the advancement of food science. Those disciplines aim to improve
food preservation, safety, nutrition, variety, availability, and sustainability. These objectives drive how
scientists think about food provision on a changing planet.
3 Food preservation and safety go hand in hand and are at the heart of most food science. Biologists
study the impact of microorganisms such as molds, bacteria, and viruses on our food sources. While
it is impossible to get rid of microorganisms completely, biologists work with engineers and other food
preservation scientists to preserve food so that it is safe for consumption and has a longer shelf life.
Some practices, such as refrigeration and protective packaging, are familiar to most people. Other
methods are newer and more technical. For example, high-pressure processing, or HPP, applies intense
cool pressure to sealed foods to deactivate harmful microorganisms. Heat has traditionally been a
common way to cook away microbes, but that method often alters the taste and texture of food.
HPP provides fresher-tasting foods that are safe to eat.
4 Additional goals of food science are variety and easy availability.
Think about the coffee and avocados at that Alaskan supermarket.
Coffee beans typically grow in tropical rain forest conditions in
places like Brazil, Africa, and Hawaii, while avocados grow best in
places without freezing winter temperatures. In the past, Alaskans
would not have had easy access to these foods. But improvements
in preservation and transportation have given people all over the
world extraordinary access to different food items. Avocados are
transported long distances in special temperature-controlled
Image 2: Many ready-made food containers, and the seemingly simple practice of roasting coffee
items undergo HPP to ensure that beans preserves them so that they can be distributed around the
they are safe to eat while still world. Unfortunately, many of these practices are often environ-
retaining their fresh taste and mentally unsustainable because they require huge amounts of
nutritional content. energy to generate, store, and transport foods over such long
distances.
discipline: a field of study

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Extended Informational Reading Comprehension

Food Science
Continue reading, and then answer the questions that follow.

5 Food scientists also work to increase food

abundance. Food insecurity, or not having enough
food to eat, is a real problem for many people
around the world. Additionally, with Earth’s ever-
increasing population, there are always more
people to feed in spite of diminishing resources.
Humans have been refining the science of
agriculture to address these issues for hundreds
of years. In the last half-century, emerging
science has tackled these challenges in a new
way: bioengineering.
Image 3: Food scientists use bioengineering to 6 The genetic engineering of foods alters the DNA
genetically alter a food to introduce new traits,
of organisms. This science, which was developed
such as drought or pest resistance.
in the 1970s, can result in many advantages for
food production. For example, some plants can
resist disease and pests, better withstand harmful weather conditions, and maintain ripeness longer
after harvest with the help of genetic engineering. Bioengineers have also been able to boost the
vitamin or mineral content in some plants. This alteration increases the plant's nutritional value.
The science of genetic engineering makes it easier to grow, harvest, and distribute high volumes
of nutritional food to those who need it most.
7 However, using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food has been a controversial practice ever
since the first genetically engineered tomato was approved for consumers in 1994. Some fear that
bioengineering foods is risky partly because it is such a new science. The concern is that we don’t
yet know the long-term impact that genetically modified foods will have on human health. Reliable
organizations like the U.S Food and Drug administration consider many GMO foods safe. Still, some
scientists argue that GMOs have unintended side
effects on the ecosystems that surround them.
Researchers continue to explore bioengineering's
uses and risks as it relates to food science.
8 Despite differing views about certain aspects of the
discipline, one thing is certain: food science is as complex
as it is essential. The evolving methods and ideas in this
field of study enable humans to have access to safe,
nutritious, and一hopefully一sufficient food. Whether it’s
through creating safer methods of food storage or
developing more nutritious food options, science seems
to be permanently linked to what and how humans eat.

Image 4: From growing and harvesting

to preparing, packaging, shipping, and
beyond—food scientists are involved in
every part of the process to get food
to consumers.

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Extended Informational Reading Comprehension

Food Science
Answer the following questions about “Food Science.”

1. What are two central ideas in the passage?

a. Food science involves many different methods and specialties.
b. Food science was first used by humans thousands of years ago.
c. Bioengineering has more advantages than disadvantages.
d. The goal of food science is to improve foods for human consumption.

2. How do the photo and caption in Image 2 contribute to the development of ideas in paragraph 3?
What is the benefit of presenting this information visually?

3. Part A: What can be inferred about microorganisms from the information in paragraph 3?
a. They enhance the flavors in some foods. c. They can only be deactivated with heat.
b. Some make foods dangerous to eat. d. Some are helpful for the health of food plants.

Part B: Cite at least two pieces of evidence from paragraph 3 that support the inference in Part A.

4. Why does the author refer to the Alaskan supermarket in paragraphs 1 and 4 of the text? How does
this reference contribute to the development of the central ideas of the text?

5. Part A: What is the author’s overall point of view about food science?
a. It is expensive and potentially dangerous.
b. It is primarily helpful for large supermarkets in cold places.
c. It is necessary and continues to solve problems.
d. It is too new to evaluate effectively

Part B: Cite two sentences from the text that support your answer in Part A.

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Extended Informational Reading Comprehension

Food Science
Answer the following questions about “Food Science.”

6. According to the text, what are some positive and negative effects of food science research?
Complete the chart below using evidence from the passage.

Positive Effects Negative Effects

7. Circle three words in the passage that contain a Latin or Greek root or prefix. Record each word
in the table below, underlining the root or prefix. Then complete the table with the meaning of the
root or prefix and the meaning of the word. Use context clues from the passage and/or a dictionary
to help you.

Word Meaning of the Root/Prefix Meaning of the Word

EXAMPLE: using biological techniques to create

bioengineering life modified versions of organisms

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