2024 7+8

The U.S. sorely needs a coordinated national research strategy, says Marcia McNutt, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences

Die sogenannte Konfetti-Illusion führt dazu, dass unreife Organen in einem orangen Plastiknetz reif und appetitlich wirken.

Gynostemma pentaphyllum has been used as an herbal tea, vegetable, and dietary supplement for hundreds of years in East Asia. The sweet variety, grown in large areas in Fujian Province, China, is an essential source of “Jiaogulan” herbal tea. However, its sweet components are unknown. To investigate the sweet constituents of Fujian “Jiaogulan” and discover new natural high-potency sweeteners, phytochemical and sensory evaluations were combined to obtain 15 saponins, of which 11 (1–11) were sweet-tasting, including 2 new ones with sweetness intensities 20–200 times higher than that of sucrose, and four (12–15) were bitter-tasting. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic methods (NMR, MS, IR, UV), hydrolysis, and comparison with literature data. The contents of the 15 saponins were quantitatively analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The contents of 1 and 2 sweet-tasting gypenosides were 9.913 ± 1.735 and 35.852 ± 1.739 mg/kg, respectively. The content of the sweetest compound (6) was 124.969 ± 0.961 mg/kg. Additionally, compound 4 was the most abundant sweet component (422.530 ± 3.702 mg/kg). Furthermore, molecular docking results suggested interactions of sweet saponins with sweet taste receptors. In general, this study revealed the material basis of the Fujian “Jiaogulan” taste.

The astringency of green tea is an integrated result of the synergic and antagonistic effects of individual tea components, whose mechanism is highly …

A new study in mice has uncovered a fascinating brain circuit that seems to play a key role in choosing exercise over unhealthy treats.

After a period of prohibition, Iceland eventually let hard liquor back on the market under tighter regulations, but beer remained banned far longer.

How do you take decisions in the supermarket? Apparently, there's a lot of science to it.

A lot of people on the internet have been telling our host Alex to drink raw milk.

Are they toxic? Do they cause inflammation? Find out what's really going on—and what you should eat.

Science is now backing up what we've all suspected: thinking hard really does hurt.

A solution to antibiotic resistance?

The adsorbents used to remove taint compounds from wine can also remove constituents that impart desirable color, aroma, and flavor attributes, whereas molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made to selectively bind one or more target compounds. This study evaluated the potential for MIPs to ameliorate smoke taint in wine via removal of volatile phenols during or after fermentation. The addition of MIPs to smoke-tainted Pinot Noir wine (for 24 h with stirring) achieved 35–57% removal of guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, cresols, and phenol, but

This study investigated the effect of heat treatments on the pungency and aroma profiles of a spice oleoresin blend, and the emulsion stability with d…

Cats are notoriously picky eaters. But what if we could design their foods around flavors that they're scientifically proven to enjoy? Researchers publishing in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry ...

Aroma is a crucial indicator of hop quality. This study analyzed the differences in aroma compound composition among six hop varieties from three regi…

Melon fruit flavor is one of the most valuable traits for consumers. Aroma, formed by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is a major component of flavo…

Ingredients come and go, and not all have the lasting power to make it over time. Here are the unhealthy ingredients we're glad are left in the past.

According to Greek mythology, red roses first appeared when Aphrodite pricked her foot on a thorn, spilling blood on a white rose. Since then, roses’ thorns have captured the imaginations of countless poets and forlorn lovers. But they aren’t the only plants with these dangerous protrusions, technically called prickles. Prickles have evolved independently in species...

Reviving ancient flavors, scientists brew beer using yeast from 3,000-year-old pottery.

A new study from George Washington University uncovers a bitter truth about our beloved cocoa treats: many contain potentially dangerous levels of heavy metals like lead and cadmium.

Archaeologists working in the Languedoc region in southern France have used stable isotopes to reveal new insights into medieval dietary practices. The research, published in Archaeological and Anthropological ...

This study used Sensomics to examine four previously obtained yogurt aroma type profiles. 14 key aroma-active compounds were identified as significant…

Many have welcomed the decision but radical change is always challenging.

US researchers say they have uncovered potential link after tracking 130,000 people over four decades

That's quite a shift.

Paris-based start-up Gourmey has applied to EFSA for approval to produce and sell cultivated foie gras. The evaluation process is expected to take at least 18 months. The Good Food Institute: "Food innovation can coexist with our culinary traditions."

A unique wood from Australia often mistaken for sandalwood. Today, we'll discuss the Australian "Buddha Wood", a tree whose wood and bark yield a unique essential oil used in perfumery. The official name of this tree is Eremophila mitchellii, (meaning "desert lover" from the Ancient Greek words ἐρῆμος and φίλος) or Mitchell's eremophila. Mitchell refers to Sir Thomas Livingstone M

A U-turn by the Gates Foundation leaves questions about the gold open-access model

Scientists have discovered an entirely new type of wood in tulip trees, a finding that could reshape our understanding of plant evolution.

People thought it had magical powers.