Sustaining Memories, Nourishing The Future

Abstract

<p>Mixing, kneading and smelling the aroma of baking bread in the farm home where she grew up is a special memory for Krista McCarty. It's how she remembers her mom, who died of cancer when McCarty was just 11 years old. "We would spend Saturday mornings baking bread, just the two of us," McCarty says. In part, those memories inspired McCarty, a senior, to pursue a major in food science. She thought about becoming a nurse, but discovered food science after taking a tour of General Mills when she was 13 years old. She's continued her focus on grains into her college career. This spring McCarty and the Iowa State University Food Product Development Team entered a gluten-free item into a national product development competition to be held in June. McCarty came up with the idea, which must be kept top secret until after the competition, after taking a gluten-free cooking class. She says people with Celiac disease, also known as fluten intolerance, don't have as many choices in the marketplace so products like this could have a competitive advantage.</p>