The human body can make most of the types of fats it needs from other fats or raw materials. That isn’t the case for omega-3 fatty acids (also called omega-3 fats and n-3 fats). These are essential fats—the body can’t make them from scratch but must get them from food. Foods high in Omega-3 […]
Stevia is a natural sweetener, derived from thestevia rebaudiana plant that was first discovered centuries ago in Paraguay by the native population. But it wasn’t until the late 19th century that a Swiss botanist working in South America documented the so-called “sweet leafâ€, and brought it back with him.
Stevia is available in many forms. […]
For centuries, ingredients have served useful functions in a variety of foods. Our ancestors used salt to preserve meats and fish, added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of foods, preserved fruit with sugar, and pickled cucumbers in a vinegar solution. Today, consumers demand and enjoy a food supply that is flavorful, nutritious, […]
Each and every day there are news bulletins and research findings supporting or warning us against this additive or that coloring. It’s often very difficult to keep it all straight. It can be terrifying to walk down the grocery store aisle where virtually every product is loaded with preservatives. We’ve all heard the rules […]
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn (maize), rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.
Production
Distillation
A still for making whisky is usually made of copper, since […]
As they struggle to deal with more extreme weather, a range of food crops are generating more of chemical compounds that can cause health problems for people and livestock who eat them, scientists have warned.
A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says that crops such as wheat and maize are generating […]
In human medicine drug allergy is a well-established side-effect of the therapeutic use of antibiotics, especially the beta-lactams. Side-effects caused by macrolides are uncommon and only a very few of these seem to be caused by allergic mechanisms. Clinically, drug allergy is characterized by a spectrum of reactions ranging from mild skin rashes to […]
Water Activity in Food
Water in food which is not bound to food molecules can support the growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds (fungi). The term water activity (aw) refers to this unbound water.
The water activity of a food is not the same thing as its moisture content. Although moist foods are likely to have […]
Trans fats, or trans-unsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, are a type of unsaturated fats that are uncommon in nature but became commonly produced industrially from vegetable fats for use in margarine, snack food, packaged baked goods and frying fast food starting in the 1950s. Trans fat has been shown to consistently be associated, in an intake-dependent way, with increased […]
Gas chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography are both separation techniques which have gained immense popularity in both academic and industrial laboratories. High Performance Liquid Chromatography has found favour in applications covering pharmaceuticals, foods, life sciences and polymers whereas Gas Chromatography has significant applications in petroleum and petrochemical industry, flavours and fragrances and, environmental air monitoring,. A […]