2024 February

The market for non-alcoholic beer has steadily shifted away from niche in recent years, with many big brands releasing their own 0.0% and alcohol free brands. But consumers who drink alcohol-free beer are often looking for the same thing as those who drink alcohol: fun.

Traditional sparkling wine production is a lengthy and costly process, involving a double fermentation step and a period of aging sur lie; thus, monitoring quality during the key manufacturing stages is crucial. The effects of the second fermentation on the development of 2-aminoacetophenone (AAP), the main marker of the atypical aging (ATA) defect, were investigated on 55 base wines (BWs) and corresponding sparkling wines (SWs) produced in an experimental winery. While the AAP content of the SWs was observed to be higher than the BWs, it was found that an artificial aging test carried out on the BWs could be a good predictor of ATA development in SWs. Further, the antioxidant capacity of the SWs was noticed to correlate well with the potential AAP formed during accelerated aging. Finally, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model of linearization capable of predicting AAP formation in SWs using the data obtained from the corresponding BWs was created.

A chemical compound essential to all living things has been synthesised in a lab in conditions that could have occurred on early Earth, suggesting it played a role at the outset of life, finds a new

Do ultra-processed foods lead to poor health outcomes by definition? A ‘hyper-literal’ focus on definitions is not the point, suggest Henry Dimbleby and Chris van Tulleken: ‘ultra-processed food’ as a category encapsulates the toll that an industry dominated by industrially-produced food has taken.

Our sugar problem could be solved by counteracting it after we’ve eaten it, as stomach ‘sponges’ and fibre-making enzymes head to market

A new study suggests fermentation -- not fire -- as the catalyst of our more potent brains.

A radioactive form of fructose, a natural sugar found in fruit, given to mice lit up areas of cancer and inflammation on a diagnostic medical scan. The researchers say the approach makes diseases easier to spot than current techniques and opens the door to new avenues of early detection.

In what many of us would consider a true public service to one of the world's best food groups, scientists have flicked the switch on a mechanism that causes cold-stored potatoes to produce the carcinogen acrylamide. Growing these genetically tinkered potatoes could eradicate known cancer risks associated with darkened chips, making them much healthier regardless of processing.

Nearly 40% of all food grown annually in the US goes unsold or uneaten. These companies are getting salty about food waste

We may lament the price of coffee today, but it was once one of the cheapest beverages available, and that affordability fueled the Age of Enlightenment.

Nicola explores scents of her home territory, tea and biscuits Ask people the world over to come up with things which are quintessentially English and tea will factor on that list. We are, even today, a nation of tea drinkers and even though coffee might have risen in popularity over the last thirty or forty years, tea will always be a drink close to the heart and soul of England’s inhabitants.  There are few circumstances whi

Are ultra-processed foods more likely to have low Nutri-Score ratings? And should the Nova classification system be incorporated into the Nutri-Score algorithm?

Have you ever been drinking a glass of whiskey and stopped to wonder why it's called that? To trace back the etymology, we looked back centuries.

In a breakthrough for the snack food industry, a team of scientists led by Michigan State University professors Jiming Jiang and David Douches has discovered a key mechanism behind the darkening and potential health concerns associated with cold-stored potatoes.

A recent study published in ACS Sensors highlights the development of a smart electronic nose (e-nose) by a research team led by Prof. Meng Gang from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese ...

Do you hear it? That sound of whipped cream sprayed from a can, oh my. So good. And here's what's cool -- whipped cream has an interesting history. Trust us.

Si bien la goma de mascar como producto industrial tiene su origen en Estados Unidos, el chicle es un producto con más apego a nuestras culturas prehispánicas

An often-overlooked water plant that can double its biomass in two days, capture nitrogen from the air—making it a valuable green fertilizer—and be fed to poultry and livestock could serve as life-saving ...

Currency can come in many forms: coins, gold bars, paper money, even bottles of whiskey. That's right, whiskey. At one time whiskey was cash in America.

This fruit seems to be having a bit of a moment right now, but what, exactly, are juneberries? We've got everything you need to know.

Anise mixture or absinthe? Cough syrup or salty licorice candies? Do you love anise as much as I do, or do you harbor a fierce aversion to it? If the encyclopedia needed something to illustrate the meaning of the word "polarizing", a photo of anise would suit even better than a stack of glass plates. Anise scent divides people into two categories: some adore it, while others hate it, leaving very few indifferent. Anise

Acai has long been lauded as a superfood, loaded with nutritional benefits -- but how much do you actually know about this popular fruit?

From cooking and growing to new health research, Leyla Kazim explores the world of bitter.

As we saw in our fragrant bouquet of narcissus-infused perfume recommendations, the sunny, soul-brightening flowers have been inspiring perfumers for centuries. But do you know the full story of the intriguing myth behind the naming of the narcissus? This fascinating tale is told beautifully on the blog of chelseaflower.co.uk:   ‘Like many stories in Greek...

A genetic code found in all of us.

More than 2700 trace compounds were reported in Chinese Baijiu. Among these compounds, odor-active compounds (OACs) can directly exhibit sensory chara…

Companies are using artificial intelligence to personalise products as consumers become more demanding about what they expect from big brands.

Black sapote is a tropical fruit with a sweet twist. Here are some of the important things to know about eating, storing, and preparing it at home.

Here's what we know.