High-Tech Creat Out New Drinks

Cooking is one big science experiment. Now chefs have been gaining fame for more explicit use of scientific techniques and tools in the kitchen.

Now, according to an article in the December issue of Physics World, mixologists -- the folks behind the bar -- are getting into the act. They're borrowing tools from the labs to create wild new libations.

Here's one example. Alcohol is better than water at delivering flavors and aromas, since many of its molecules aren't water-soluble.

Plant material is fermented and then heated to extract the alcohol that contains those flavors --- that's distillation. But the heat produced during the distillation process will destroy some aroma molecules.

Enter the scientists' rotary evaporator, somewhere it is rather like a mist evaporator. When the fermented liquid goes in the rotating container, the pressure is lowered, so volatile components evaporate. Then a cool coil condenses the vapor back into liquid.

One mixologist in London used this technique to make a mild habañero liqueur. The spicy capsaicin isn't volatile --- so it gets left behind. The final product has the fruity and floral flavors of chili peppers with none of the searing heat.

For more proof, go to the article "Cocktail Physics" at physicsworld.com. Thanks

Originally Posted: About Additive

A New Trump Card to Against 3 p.m. Slump - Have an Egg!

The other afternoon I hit a classic mid-afternoon slump. Sleepy and sluggish, I grabbed for a bit of chocolate. But I probably should have had egg whites or maybe a piece of steak. Because a recent study in mice has found that it's protein, not sugar, that provides the perk.

Brain cells called orexin cells secrete a stimulant that makes us energetic and tells the body to burn calories. If the cells' activity decreases, narcolepsy or sudden sleepiness, is the result. The work is published in the journal Neuron.
[Mahesh M. Karnani et al., "Activation of Central Orexin/Hypocretin Neurons by Dietary Amino Acids"]

Scientists marked orexin cells in mice brains so they would fluoresce. Then they tracked the cells’ activity after feeding the mice different kinds of food.

Turns out that glucose blocks the function of the orexin cells. This effect might be the main reason for the desired post-lunch siesta. But the researchers also found that amino acids stop the glucose action, keeping the cells active and the mice alert. So next time I get that 3 p.m. slow down, I'll have an egg. If I'm alert enough to remember.

Originally Posted: About Additive

Experts Query Use of Rice Additives

In China, Some food safety experts have expressed doubts about the use of additives in rice, although officials said they are free from potential safety hazards.



In response to media reports questioning the revised National Standard for Food Additives, the Ministry of Health issued a statement on Saturday, saying two additives - sodium diacetate and chitosan - were permissible for rice, and that a thickening agent - sodium starch phosphate - can be used in some rice products, such as rice noodles.

In the statement, Wang Zhutian, deputy director of the Fortified Food Office (FFO) under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said sodium diacetate is a widely used preservative in grain, rice and pastry, and chitosan is a coating agent used in rice. Both can help retain freshness and prevent mildew.

The revised regulation, issued early this month, comes into force on June 20.

"The two additives were allowed in rice before 2007, and they passed the safety assessment," Chen Junshi, director of the office, told China Daily on Sunday.

However, some food experts warned that using additives in rice might put food safety at risk, Beijing News reported on Friday.

One expert who wished to remain anonymous was less convinced.

"Rice is a staple food in China as well as a major ingredient for other food products. We must treat the use of rice additives with great caution," the expert was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Other experts also questioned the need for additives in rice.

"According to the standards for using additives, a substance is used when it is technically indispensable. If rice is rot-resistant without additives, they should not be added," said Sang Liwei, a food-safety lawyer and the China representative of the NGO Global Food Safety Forum.

"I have worked in the grain industry for many years, but never heard of the practice of adding additives to rice during processing. There is no need," a technical veteran with the Food Research Institute of Guangdong province, surnamed Guo, was quoted on Saturday by Guangzhou-based Information Times as saying. According to Guo, there are two ways of packaging grain products in China to keep the rice fresh: vacuum packaging and aerating nitrogen into the packaging bags.

"It is easy, safe and inexpensive to retain the freshness of rice," Guo told the paper.

The revised national standard sought opinions from July to September last year, but officials said they did not receive any objections, so the additives were included on the final list.

"According to the procedure, if someone files an objection, the health department will examine and decide whether to exclude the additive," Chen said.

The standards can also be changed at any time if there are objections from the industry.

"If any rice manufacturer objected to the use of the additives, the health authority will take advice from other businesses and the industry, and make changes in the standard accordingly," Chen said.

Originally Posted: About Additive

Bloody Mary Preparation Recipe Open to The Public

[Guide] Bloody Mary is a low alcohol wine among cocktail, its bright red color together with a touch of salt savors, that make people feel a taste of a bloody existence. The reason why this cocktail is become so popular today, it is because in the West, Bloody Mary is a psychic game that very popular in young people, while in China, people usually go to bars, but very few people will try this cocktail.




2011 is the International Year of Chemistry. So scientists at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim raised a glass. (Or a beaker.) And they celebrated as only chemists can—by carefully analyzing its contents. [Neil Da Costa, "Flavor chemistry of the "Bloody Mary" cocktail"

The drink they dissected was the Bloody Mary, perhaps the world’s most chemically complex cocktail. A mix of tomato juice and vodka, along with lemon or lime, horseradish, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces, black pepper and celery salt, the Bloody Mary packs a punch. And it lights up nearly our entire range of taste receptors, giving us sweet, salty, sour and savory.

To find out the Bloody Mary’s secret, researchers shared one with a chromatograph, which identified the various compounds that contribute to the drink’s flavor and bouquet. The scientists turned up plenty of antioxidants, as well as a few bartending tips.

First, make it fresh. The acids in tomato juice can degrade the drink’s other ingredients. Also, make it cold—ice slows the degradation. Use the best tomato juice --- the major source of flavor. But feel free to cheap out on the vodka. Its taste gets lost in the complex mix. In other words, chemists say to save the Grey Goose for other experiments.

Originally Posted: About Additive

Drink Beverages Contained Additives often may Induce Asthma in Children

The experts found that the incidence of bronchial asthma in children has increased, in many areas the rate is up to about 5%. According to the research, the increased incidence of asthma was partly caused by environmental pollution of the outside, it is inseparable to excessive consumption of various synthetic drinks and beverages.

At present drinks and beverages sold in the market is various. Generally, all of them are contain a variety of additives made of chemical substances. To prevent deterioration, preservatives were added generally. When children drink too many beverages contained additives, which will make many chemicals stored in the tissues and organs, then become allergens, directly affect the physiological functions and activities of many enzymes in the body, and results in declination of the immune function, thus causing asthma or other allergies disease.

U.S. Professor Fan Geer who has engaged in scientific research for many years confirmed that the synthetic pigments, such as fragrances can cause a variety of allergies, for example asthma, urticaria, skin itching and so on. He had encountered some children with allergic asthma, and tried all ways to treat them but failed, but when they stopped drinking foods and beverages contained additives, the diseased children become recovered soon.

Therefore, young parents, you’d best to lead your children drink few beverages contained a variety of chemical additives, and let them drink more natural fruit juice or eat fresh fruits.

Originally Posted: About Additive