Palimah Panichit
4 October 2016: A team of human nutrition students at the University of Canberra have won a charcuterie award for their creation of a healthier sausage.
The students were tasked with designing a sausage that is lower in fat without sacrificing taste. The winning sausage was created with herbs, spices and RSPCA-approved chicken.
The winning team was made up of Cassandra-Lee Felcete, Georgia Houston, Melody Horne, Stacy Morgan and Zara Blazsanyik. They all are studying a Bachelor of Human Nutrition, which is the only degree of its kind offered in the ACT.
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The winning team is presented their award. L-R: Ms Jane Kellett, Associate Professor Duane Mellor, Cassandra-Lee Felcete, Georgia Houston, Melody Horne, Stacy Morgan, Zara Blazsanyik and Dr Nenad Naumovski. Photo: Palimah Panichit.
In its second year, the Charcutier award – organised by the University’s Faculty of Health – aims to raise awareness of the health risks involved in eating processed meat that is high in fat and low in quality.
Associate professor in nutrition and dietetics Duane Mellor emphasised the importance of the sausages tasting good after the removal of bulking agents and low quality cuts of meat.
“No matter how nutritionally good the food is, you’re wasting your efforts if no one eats it,” Mellor said. “It’s important to try and get around these problems and get a product that still appeals to people.”
For the competition, participants were provided with the ingredients and a basic recipe, and then given a week to think about the sausage they want to create from a nutritional perspective. On the day, they had two hours to create the filling and encase it. Once the sausages were ready, they were given to post-graduate dietetic students to cook, sample and judge them.
This year, Canberra Times education reporter Karen Hardy and Lyneham butcher Geoff Martin, were also invited as members of the judging panel.
Lecturer in nutrition and dietetics Jane Kellett said the challenge was great for students to help refine their practical skills.
“Being able to think about food in this kind of challenging environment is good for the students. It helps remind them that while healthy food and eating is our goal we can’t afford to forget about taste, flavour and appeal,” Ms Kellett said.
“It also helps food science students take their knowledge from the classroom and apply it to real-world situations.
“From the teachers’ perspective, the students learned to avoid processed foods and make things from scratch. They will take that message with them and will be able to share it with people in the future.”
Assistant professor of food science and organiser of the competition, Nenad Naumovski, said the competition is a good way to get students involved in class and demonstrates the benefits of low-fat options.
“We introduced the competition as a motivational strategy for students to participate, but it also builds their understanding around the implications of a diet high in processed foods for the broader population,” Dr Naumovski said.
