Selection of Method for Analysis of a Specific Substance in FoodFSHN 462

The Assignment…1. Select, from the list below, one food constituent.2. Using library databases, AGRICOLA or Web of Science,

do a literature search of methods for quantitatively determining the food constituent. Select two methods based on different principles for measuring the component in a specific food from the scientific literature

3. Record your strategy. How did you find the methods? What database did you use. What keywords? etc.

4. For the two methods you have selected1. Give a comparison of the sensitivity, precision, and

accuracy of the methods.2. Choose between the two methods.3. Include copies of published papers used for your

report.4. Include your search strategy.

Food Constituents1. Calcium2. Iron3. Copper4. Mercury5. Lead6. Vitamin A7. Chlorophyll8. Sucrose9. Pectic Acid10. Fructose11. Starch12. Anthocyanins13. Oleic Acid14. Butyric Acid15. Linoleic Acid

1. Parathion2. Vitamin E3. Vitamin B14. Vitamin B25. Odor constituents

of onions6. Odor constituents

of apples7. Odor constituents

of citrus oils8. Methionine9. Lysine10. Tryptophan11. Rutin

1. Linolenic Acid2. Acetic Acid3. Lactic Acid4. Malic Acid5. Nitrosamine6. Nitrate7. Nitrite8. Myoglobin9. Peroxidase10. Lipoxygenase11. Polyphenol

Oxidase12. Alkaline

Phosphatase13. Aspartame14. Saccharin15. Cyclamate

Databases: Where to Find Journal Articles

Food Science Databases•AGRICOLA•CAB Abstracts•Food Science & Technology Abstracts•SciFinder Scholar•Web of Science

Remember, these are the two mentioned specifically in your assignment

WSU Libraries Databases by Subject:

•Food Science •Agriculture & Resource Economics

Cross Search•Cross Search searches multiple databases, in the subject you select, at the same time.

“ A Rose is a Rose is a Rose.”-Gertrude Stein

Many of the components on the list have other names. The following are places to find synonyms for some of the components listed.

• Dictionary of Chemistry (Oxford): Available online from the WSU Libraries, or WSU Owen Reference QD5 .D4985 2000

• Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary WSU Owen Reference QD5.C5 2007

• Wiley Encyclopedia of Food Science and Technology WSU Owen Reference TP368.2 E62 2000

Searching Databases & CataloguesSearching tips that you can use with any database or library catalogue.

Boolean Searching: AND, OR, AND NOT• Use AND to narrow/focus searches

• Why? Databases and catalogues will retrieve record where all terms connected with AND appear

• For example, vitamin c AND sea buckthorn• Use OR to expand searches

• Why? Databases and catalogues will retrieve records where either term connected by OR appears.

• For example, vitamin c OR ascorbic acid• Use NOT or AND NOT to limit a search to one term and at the

same time eliminate another term• For example, you are looking for studies of vitamin c, but

not ester-c. Your search may look like this vitamin c NOT ester-c or it may look like “vitamin c” AND NOT ester-c.

• Use AND NOT/NOT judiciously. You may eliminate something you need.

Searching for Variant Endings and Spelling

• Truncation uses a symbol, usually an asterisk (*), to retrieve variant endings of a root word.• Environment* will retrieve environments, environmental,

environmentalism.• The vast majority of databases and catalogues use the *

to truncate, but some databases use other symbols like # or ?

• Be careful not to over-truncate. Using eth* to retrieve articles with ethyl alcohol and ethanol will also retrieve ethic, ethics, ethical, ethnic, ethnicity.

• Symbols like the ? or * can also be used to search for variant spellings or plural forms as well.• Colo?r will retrieve both color and colour• H?emophilia will retrieve both haemophilia and

hemophilia• Most databases use either the ? or * to indicate a search

for variant spellings, but some databases use other symbols like #.

Searching phrases• When searching any catalogue or database

enclose phrases in quotation marks.• If you are looking for articles on vitamin c,

and don’t put it in quotes, you get every record with vitamin and c. That doesn’t sound so bad until you find that article on Vitamin B12 by Jane C. Public, PhD.

• That search for vitamin c in sea buckthorn will look like this, “vitamin c” AND “sea buckthorn”

Grouping Searches• When grouping terms together use

parentheses.• Why? Parentheses “force the order”. They

instruct the database/catalogue to search the set in parentheses first.

• If you sat in algebra class and said, I’ll never use this again…

• You can still search for phrases using quotation marks, and you can tie groups of parentheses together with AND, OR, AND NOT to create complex searches

Putting Searches TogetherA. What is your question? This can be assigned by

your professor or one your come up with yourself.1. “What are the methods used for determining the

amount of vitamin c in sea buckthorn berries?”B. Form your search strategy:

1. Collect your keywords/key phrases together.2. Identify synonyms for those keywords/key

phrases.• For example, some synonyms for “vitamin c”

include “ascorbic acid” and “ascorbate” • Having trouble finding synonyms, try a

dictionary, subject dictionary, or thesaurus.

Putting Searches Together1. Group synonyms together using parentheses and

connect them with OR• (“vitamin c” or “ascorbic acid” or ascorbate)• (“sea buckthorn” or “Hippophae rhamnoides

L.”)• (method or technique)• (content or amount or quantit*)• Remember, put quotes around phrases

2. Tie concepts together with AND.• (“vitamin c” or “ascorbic acid” or ascorbate)

AND (“sea buckthorn” or “Hippophae rhamnoides L.”) AND (method or technique) AND (content or amount or quantit*)

If at first you don’t succeed…A. Test your search strategy. Does it work in

AGRICOLA?1. This gigantic search strategy: (“vitamin c” or

“ascorbic acid” or ascorbate) AND (“sea buckthorn” or “Hippophae rhamnoides L.”) AND (method or technique) AND (content or amount or quantit*) did not work. In fact, I got an error message.

2. Sometimes you have to refine your search strategy in order to get results, much less relevant results

3. I refined my search strategy to: “vitamin c” AND “sea buckthorn” AND (analy* OR method*) AND (amount OR content OR quantit*) in AGRICOLA, and I got…

Success!

If at First You Don’t Succeed…A. Test your search strategy. Does it work in Web of

Science?1. This gigantic search strategy: (“vitamin c” or

“ascorbic acid” or ascorbate) AND (“sea buckthorn” or “Hippophae rhamnoides L.”) AND (method or technique) AND (content or amount or quantit*) did not work. Once again, I got an error message.

2. Sometimes you have to refine your search strategy in order to get results, much less relevant results

3. I refined my search strategy to: (“vitamin c” AND “sea buckthorn”) AND (analy* OR method*) AND (amount OR content OR quantit*) in Web of Science, and I got…

Try, Try Again

Something to keep in mind…1. Sometimes a search works right off the

bat, and sometimes you have to go back and fine-tune your search.

2. Sometimes, everything you need to know about the article in in the abtract, but not always. Research papers have a Methods section that will tell you how a test was done. If you’re not sure read the paper.

Karenann Jureckikjurecki@wsu.eduYahoo IM: k.jurecki335-8217