2024 March

Here's what we know.

A study led by the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and published in the journal Ecological Economics provides important insights into the future of food labeling in the EU. By ...

Smoke taint in wine has become a critical issue in the wine industry due to its significant negative impact on wine quality. Data-driven approaches including univariate analysis and predictive modeling are applied to a data set containing concentrations of 20 VOCs in 48 grape samples and 56 corresponding wine samples with a taster-evaluated smoke taint index. The resulting models for predicting the smoke taint index of wines are highly predictive when using as inputs VOC concentrations after log conversion in both grapes and wines (Pearson Correlation Coefficient PCC = 0.82; R2 = 0.68) and less so when only grape VOCs are used (Pearson Correlation Coefficient PCC = 0.76; R2 = 0.56), and the classification models also show the capacity for detecting smoke-tainted wines using both wine and grape VOC concentrations (Recall = 0.76; Precision = 0.92; F1 = 0.82) or using only grape VOC concentrations (Recall = 0.74; Precision = 0.92; F1 = 0.80). The performance of the predictive model shows the possibility of predicting the smoke taint index of the wine and grape samples before fermentation. The corresponding code of data analysis and predictive modeling of smoke taint in wine is available in the Github repository (https://github.com/IBPA/smoke_taint_prediction).

The theory of evolutionary addiction pushes back on the cheery perception of the microbiome, suggesting instead humans adapted to need, not benefit, from it.

Do you ever wonder how researchers identify bacterial infections? Traditionally, they collect samples from the infected site, grow the bacteria in a lab, and analyze them using a method called MALDI-ToF-MS. ...

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by vegetation are important precursors of ozone and secondary organic aerosols in the atmosphere, affecting air quality, clouds, and climate. However, ...

A new study finds a "tipping point” in the evolution of fungi that throttles their growth and sculpts their shapes.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research used Facebook data to investigate the influence of cultural similarities on migration flows and found that cultural proximity plays as important a role in the choice of destination country as shared language and history.

Managing our most precious resource

Human brains are getting bigger. Researchers hypothesize that might be good news for dementia risk.

Time pressure is bad for your health- but the answer may be right outside your door.

A research team, affiliated with UNIST has achieved a groundbreaking feat by observing the dissolution of salt in water at the atomic level and experimentally uncovering the underlying principle.

Portugal is known for its delicious food, but it also has plenty to offer when it comes to drinks. Take a look at the liqueurs, coffee, and wines of Portugal.

Yes, your favorite fruity drink probably contains apple juice, but don't worry! There's no apple juice conspiracy afoot. It's always been there.

If you thought there was only one variety of dragon fruit, you might be surprised to learn that these delicious cactus fruits actually come in four types.

Looking for a healthy and tasty way to add seasoning? Made from a sea vegetable, green salt is the pantry item you'll be sprinkling on everything.

The disturbing new normal.

Earlier springs due to climate change are wreaking havoc in orchards.

NZ’s sheep industry could be one of the biggest losers with the rise of alternative proteins. Once profitable industries will need to be ready to pivot away from animal-based products.

Brazzein (Brz) is a sweet-tasting protein composed of 54 amino acids and is considered as a potential sugar substitute. The current methods for obtaining brazzein are complicated, and limited information is available regarding its thermal stability. In this study, we successfully expressed recombinant brazzein, achieving a sweetness threshold of 15.2 μg/mL. Subsequently, we conducted heat treatments at temperatures of 80, 90, 95, and 100 °C for a duration of 2 h to investigate the structural changes in the protein. Furthermore, we employed hydrogen–deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to analyze the effect of heating on the protein structure–sweetness relationships. Our results indicated that the thermal inactivation process primarily affects residues 6–14 and 36–45 of brazzein, especially key residues Tyr8, Tyr11, Ser14, Glu36, and Arg43, which are closely associated with its sweetness. These findings have significant implications for improving the thermal stability of brazzein.

Here's a refreshing look into how this odd little bit of consumer-minded science became a craze so quickly, and how it dissolved out of favor almost as fast.

Non-alcoholic beverages were on full display at Natural Products Expo West 2024 last week, as hop-heavy brands like Hoplark, H2OPS, and Lagunitas shared how they are tapping into consumer demands for bold and interesting flavors.

Here’s what that could mean for your garden.

We eat tasty and nutritious foods produced by nature and transformed through processing including cooking. Their unique microstructures started to be …

Heritage orchard at RHS Rosemoor to be sampled this spring as part of search for previously unrecorded ‘survivor’ cultivars

When it comes to eggs, you've probably heard that those with darker orange yolks are best. But is this true? Here's the meaning of orange egg yolks, explained.

Exclusive: Scientists say people with disease who drink two to four cups a day are less likely to see it return

Major African cocoa plants in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana have stopped or cut processing because they cannot afford to buy beans.

Contrary to prevailing logic, Nescafé, the world's first globally distributed instant coffee brand, wasn't developed as a modern convenience for homemakers.