UC biochemistry student explores world of taste

But Anower said her time at the University of Cincinnati introduced her to other career possibilities she hadn’t considered that better suited her passion for biochemistry. And she credits UC’s nationally renowned co-op program for providing the early opportunities that she hopes will launch her career in food science.

“When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor, but after coming to UC, I have seen a lot of other opportunities in chemistry and biochemistry,” Anower said. “I gravitate more to innovation and product development.”

Anower applied to 20 schools and chose UC because of its connections to industry through its many internships and co-ops, in which students split the year between classroom instruction and full-time jobs with employers in their chosen fields.

She was accepted to UC’s Honors Program, which represents the top 7% of the university’s undergraduates.

Anower worked two biochemistry internships for Givaudan, a global publicly traded company that specializes in food flavorings, fragrances and cosmetics. Givaudan (pronounced ji-va-don) generated $8 billion in sales last year working with clients to help them produce better and novel products.

She was hired as a food science intern, working in new product development. Anower got to experiment with new yogurt flavors such as passion fruit.

“That’s where the chemistry comes in, understanding what natural compounds and ratios make up the flavor in passion fruit,” she said.

“It was very hands-on. I was in a lab coat making prototypes, testing them and seeing which combinations I liked the best,” she said. “That’s my favorite part. I like being in the lab trying things.”

Some of the flavors she saw in the lab at Givaudan made it to supermarket shelves, she said.

For her second internship at Givaudan, Anower was back in the lab, this time working with the company’s sensory science team on low-calorie sugar substitutes.

“It’s more statistics-forward, running statistical and qualitative tests,” she said.

“It’s proactive work instead of customer-directed,” she said. “We’re looking at technologies we can present to customers for new flavor profiles we can build.”

Anower grew up in Bangladesh. She excelled at math and science and was accepted into UC’s Honors Program. At UC, she had a chance to work on research projects on microplastics with partners such as Cincinnati Children's Hospital and UC’s College of Medicine.

“A research lab is a little different from a food science lab,” she said. “At UC we use more analytical tools like Raman spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.”

But there was no classroom experience that could replace on-the-job experience in a commercial lab, Anower said.

“Co-op teaches you what your future could look like. You can picture yourself in the workplace and what you want or don’t want,” she said. “UC science majors can get a lot of exposure to research at the university. But the co-op program shows you the job possibilities. And that creates a bridge to industry.”

And Anower is looking forward to seeing where her interests take her.

“I really like food science. It’s a good balance of something I do out of passion and something I’m learning,” she said.

Featured image at top: UC biochemistry student Tasnim Anower works in a UC chemistry lab. Anower had two internships at Swiss company Givaudan that introduced her to careers in food science. Photo/Connor Boyle/UC Marketing + Brand