Starbucks Drinks May Dangerous to Asthma Sufferers?

Brief: Do there are bugs in coffee? According to U.S. media reports, the Starbucks coffee chain announced that they will switch to cochineal extract as the color pigment to their Strawberry Frappuccinos drink thus to reduce the use of artificial colors. However, the experts pointed out that this insect coloring agent may be sensitive to allergic asthma patients.

Have you ever wondered how Starbucks makes their Strawberry Frappuccinos look so vibrantly pink? The pink hue is thanks to crushed up insects, according to new information provided by the coffee chain giant.

In a statement released by Starbucks, the company has revealed that they use cochineal extract, which is the ground-up bodies of insects, as a dye for the popular rose-coloured beverage. Bugs from mainly Mexico and South America are dried out before they are ground and used in the milky-based Frappuccino drink.

As stomach-turning as it may sound, the ingredient is in fact harmless. Commonly used to help liven up the dull hues of jams, meats, cheese, baked goods, alcoholic drinks and more, cochineal extract has been used as a colouring agent in food and drinks for centuries. It has been deemed safe by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration.

Starbucks said it had decided to use cochineal extract to help limit the use of artificial ingredients in its products. 'At Starbucks, we strive to carry products that meet a variety of dietary lifestyles and needs,' the statement read. 'While the strawberry base isn't a vegan product, it helps us move away from artificial dyes.’

But the all-natural matter is not entirely free of health risks. The World Health Organisation has found that cochineal extract may cause asthma in some people. Others may see an allergic reaction.

Vegan fans may not be happy with its inclusion either. ThisDishIsVegetarian.com, an animal rights and eco-friendly news site, labels the extract non-vegan.

Originally Posted: About Additive

Japan will Approve Saccharin Sodium as a Food Additive

March 13, 2012, Japan released the G/SPS/N/JPN/295 bulletin: Modify the Food Sanitation Law, and the Food and Food Additive Standards Implementing Regulations. and Approve saccharin calcium be a food additive, to develop the substance of the standards, and to amend the standard of saccharin sodium .

The proposed date of the approval, publicaiton of this notification will be released after the final date of review as soon as possible, and the proposed date of take effect will take effect after a certain grace period,  and the final date for receiving feedbacks is May 12, 2012.


Originally Posted: About Additive

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

Fungicides Found in Orange Juice, Coca-Cola told Gov't

Cola-Cola Co. said Wednesday it found an unapproved fungicide in orange juice made by Coke and its competitors, and alerted federal regulators that some Brazilian growers had sprayed trees with the substance.

The beverage giant, which makes Simply Orange and Minute Maid, would not say which brands had shown the fungicide. Both brands contain juice from Brazil.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have said orange juice is safe to drink and the levels found are below levels of concern.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, which makes the Minute Maid and Simply Orange brands of orange juice, said Thursday it had notified FDA of the low levels of the fungicide carbendazim in the company's orange juice and in competitors' juice. The FDA had said Monday that an unnamed company had told the agency about the fungicide and confirmed Wednesday the company was Coca-Cola.

Neither the FDA nor the company said which orange juice products tested positive. Carbendazim is not currently approved for use on citrus in the United States, but it is used to combat mold on orange trees in Brazil, which exports orange juice to the United States. Fungicides are used to control fungi or fungal spores in agriculture.

The FDA said Coca-Cola found levels up to 35 parts per billion of the fungicide, far below the European Union's maximum residue level of 200 parts per billion. The U.S. government has not established an official maximum residue level for carbendazim in orange juice.

The Environmental Protection Agency has said a risk assessment of carbendazim showed no risks at up to 80 parts per billion, but officials believe real levels of concern are much higher.

"The residues we have seen reported at 35 parts per billion are thousands of times below the concentration that would raise safety concerns," said EPA spokeswoman Betsaida Alcantara.

Coca-Cola spokesman Dan Schafer said: "This is an industry issue that affects every company that produces products in the U.S. using orange juice from Brazil."

Most orange juice products made by Coke and other companies contain a blend of juice from different sources including Brazil. In addition to Coca-Cola, Pepsico Inc.'s Tropicana brand is one of the largest U.S. orange juice producers. A spokesman for Tropicana declined to say whether the company had done its own testing for the fungicide.

The FDA has begun testing shipments of orange juice at the border and will detain any that contain more than 10 parts per billion of the chemical. Because the fungicide is not approved for use in the United States, any amount found in food is illegal, but FDA spokeswoman Siobhan Delancey said any amount below 10 parts per billion isn't measurable. All tests released by the agency so far have been negative, she said.

The agency said it won't remove any juice currently on store shelves because it doesn't believe the levels of residue are harmful, though that juice is also being tested.

In the letter to the Juice Products Association earlier this week, FDA official Nega Beru asked the industry to ensure that suppliers in Brazil, the world's largest orange producer, and other countries stop using the fungicide.

"If the agency identifies orange juice with carbendazim at levels that present a public health risk, it will alert the public and take the necessary action to ensure that the product is removed from the market," he said.

Orange juice for March delivery fell 10 cents, or 5.3 percent, to $1.781 per pound on Wednesday. Coca-Cola Co. shares fell 49 cents to close at $67.57 and Pepsico Inc. shares fell 39 cents to close at $64.62.

The fungicide discovery comes after the FDA said it would also step up testing for arsenic in apple juice. FDA officials said last year that the agency is considering tightening restrictions for the levels of arsenic allowed in the juice after consumer groups pushed the agency to crack down on the contaminant.

Studies show that apple juice has generally low levels of arsenic, and the government says it is safe to drink. But consumer advocates say the FDA is allowing too much of the chemical - which is sometimes natural, sometimes man made - into apple juices often consumed by children.

Patty Lovera of the advocacy group Food and Water Watch said the FDA and the Agriculture Department, which also oversees food imports, should have a better system for tracking potential contaminants in food.

"It seems like we keep playing catch up chemical by chemical," she said. "As we import more and more, this isn't going to be the last time this happens."

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

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables, If You want A Healthy-Looking

Owning a healthy skin is every girls' dream. Recent study found that a variety of  lotions contained chemical additives or take sunbath can not guarantee you have a healthy face, while eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is the best way to help you build a healthy looking.

Many people love what they consider a suntan's healthy glow. But the color you get from eating vegetables might be the most attractive glow of all. That’s according to research in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour.

Researchers controlled the diet and evaluated the skin color of 82 participants for eight weeks. Those who ate more fruits and vegetables had a yellower hue to their skin. That tone comes from carotenoids in the fruit and veggies, which are linked to better immune defenses and reproductive health.

In related studies, the scientists recruited volunteers to look at photographs of 51 faces. They could manipulate the colors of the face to increase the darkness or the yellow tones. They were asked to adjust the colors until the faces looked to be what the subjects considered the most healthy. And the majority preferred a yellowish tone, like that produced by carotenoids. This held true for Caucasians in the U.K. and black Africans in South Africa.

The researchers say the preference could be a gauge of vigor - many animals let their health be known to potential mates through vibrant coloration. So eating more fruits and vegetables if you want your face to advertise your fitness.

Originally Posted: About Additive