Questions tagged [food-chemistry]
For questions related to the chemistry of food.
376
questions
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37 views
Why cooking drinks with sugar is healthy instead of adding it after [closed]
i use to hear people saying that cooking drinks like tea or beet juice with added sugar is healthy compared to when you add it in your cup when the drink is ready. Is this scientifically proven(which ...
0
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0answers
23 views
Carbon Sequestration For Indoor Farming
First the backstory:
We've begun growing mushrooms (currently Enoki, Lion's Mane and Blue Oysters if anyone is curious) for the sake of eating and maybe potentially selling someday soon. My partner ...
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4answers
90 views
If I hard boil eggs in a pressure cooker, will I get the same results regardless of altitude?
This seems like it should be obvious but for some reason (my chemistry is very rusty) I'm having a hard time articulating why the hardboiled egg recipe in an instant pot should yield the same results ...
2
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4answers
76 views
How to correct the pH and composition of bottled water?
For some time I've been buying a brand 'A' of (non-sparkling) bottled water.
It wasn't easy to find one that I liked, because I make tea with it, and most other brands I tried made murky, smelly, dark ...
26
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2answers
3k views
The importance of the cold chain in the food and the pharmaceutical industry
There are these everyday things that one should know as a scientist and especially as a chemist, but which never come to light in an academic curriculum — at least not in mine.
One such thing is the ...
6
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0answers
55 views
Does heating potato starch destroy its resistant starch?
Resistant starch, as found in potato starch, is supposed to have health benefits. There are differing opinions on whether or not heating potato starch destroys the resistant starch in it and thereby ...
4
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1answer
478 views
Why are there no alkaline foods?
It takes some work to find a list of the actual pH of various foods. (Searches are confounded by a popular "alkaline diet" theory that the pH effect on a human body of consuming various ...
0
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0answers
29 views
Does fractionation use enough heat to destroy nutrients in Coconut Oils when seperating the MCT oils?
We have recently been giving MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil to our dogs in place of Coconut Oil as from what I understand the majority of the benefits of Coconut Oil comes from the MCT's ...
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11 views
Is puffing through high pressure release the only way to make puffed cereal from a starch based mix or are there food safe chemical approaches?
I'm attempting to make puffed cereal at home and I was wondering with a chemical approach if it is possible to achieve the same structure and expansion which for example a puffing gun would be needed. ...
6
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2answers
1k views
Are food calorie values really integers?
According to what I've seen, fat has a listed caloric value of 9 Cal/g, while carbs and protein have listed caloric values of 4 Cal/g.* Are these numbers exact, or have they been rounded? And if they ...
0
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1answer
79 views
What is the main contributor of the color of honey? [closed]
I was told that the color of honey contains so much chemistry and that was interesting to me and after doing a couple of research I found that the color of honey depends on the presence of plant ...
0
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1answer
142 views
Are there any tasteless edible salts? [closed]
I saw on Youtube a video where caffeine was extracted from Red Bull using dichloromethane. However, due to dichloromethane tendency to form emulsions with liquid, an inefficient method was used to mix ...
23
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4answers
8k views
Can we fill potato chips bags with a gas other than nitrogen?
I understand that we fill potato chips bag with nitrogen to prevent oxidation. But why do we use nitrogen, instead of neon or hydrogen or something else?
My first guess is that nitrogen is lighter ...
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0answers
29 views
Lowering the freezing point of a lipid by adding another lipid
I'm trying to stop bacon grease from congealing in the fridge by adding another lipid with a lower freeze point to it, but I'm not sure how much to add, as I'd like to keep the ratio as bacon-grease ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Chemistry of heat and egg whites
I tried to make Italian buttercream icing the other day and followed this recipe.
Unfortunately, the icing was completely runny / liquid. So I know I made a mistake somewhere.
But since I don't ...
1
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1answer
66 views
Chemical composition of silver tarnish
I had taken as a given that silver tarnish is a layer of silver sulfide on the surface of a utensil, and that cleaning it using a thiourea based agent like Tarn-X dissolves the sulfide layer.
However,...
4
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2answers
595 views
How to measure the color of honey? [closed]
After doing some research, I found that honey's color could be a factor of climate. I am very interested in this subject and I'm a high school student so we don't have as much apparatus as you would ...
0
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1answer
92 views
Ripening of bananas?
So, obviously the ripening of bananas involves changing it’s chemical composition. For example, ripe bananas have a much higher amount of sugar.
It is also known that reaction rates are generally ...
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1answer
83 views
Cooking IN CO2 gas? [closed]
Quick theoretical question:
What if I replaced water with dry ice in my pressure cooker? Assuming I used a calculated amount to prevent an explosion...
Would It be able to cook?
Would it dehydrate ...
6
votes
1answer
568 views
Does storing apples alongside potatoes keep potatoes from sprouting?
I am looking for a chemical explanation which I wasn't able to find.
I have read in several sources such as this one that, in order to prevent potatoes from sprouting, it is sufficient to store a few ...
2
votes
1answer
144 views
Why is absorbance in UV-VIS spectrometer negative even after calibration?
I was collecting data to plot a calibration curve using pure beta-carotene sample. Prepared 5 different concentrations of beta-carotene dissolved in methanol. Pure methanol was used as blank. However, ...
3
votes
2answers
513 views
Is there a way to create natural Red food coloring from Turmeric in the house kitchen?
As a non chemist I have read in the Wikipedia article Curcumin that:
Curcumin becomes bright red when it interacts electrostatically with
phospholipid film.
This text appeared without source ...
5
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2answers
180 views
Is there any way to chemically check sweetness level in any drink or water or tea etc?
I was wondering if there is a test or way to find out how sweet any drink is? For example, if I mix sugar in water, how can I test its level or number of sweetness?
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40 views
Will cooking destroy cucurbitin?
I'm curious whether cooking a food containing cucurbitin (an amino acid found in plants related to cucumbers) will destroy it.
More specifically, will roasting pumpkin seeds result in significant ...
3
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1answer
104 views
How can they “wash away” the caffeine from Nescafe Gold to produce that “de-caf” version?
I buy and drink Nescafe Gold all the time. I also buy the smaller "caffeine-free" version of the same product. It tastes very differently, which makes me assume that the caffeine does have a lot of ...
27
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3answers
9k views
What substances do humans consume that are caloric but neither protein, carb, nor fat?
On the Medical Sciences StackExchange site I asked Can a calorie be neither protein, carb, nor fat?
and got a very helpful answer, which was that ethanol (in alcoholic drinks) is caloric but neither ...
0
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1answer
20 views
salts affecting the salinity of water [closed]
I know there are different types of salts like Himalayan salts table salts etc. I was wonder do different types of salts have a different level in salinity when dissolved in water.
0
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0answers
28 views
What's a non-toxic flavorless water-soluable chemical I could use for freezing point depression when making ice cream?
I'd like to make a savory version of ice cream. So I can't use sugar or any artificial sweeteners for the freezing point depression needed to control ice crystal sizes. What can I use?
2
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1answer
312 views
Cleaning with Vinegar - what surfaces does it react badly with? Metal window sills ok?
I'm cleaning up some mould around the home and I have some substance on my window sills which I'm not quite sure if it's dirt or mould.
I have read about using Vinegar to clean up mould, but an ...
0
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0answers
37 views
How can a DPPH assay to measure antioxidant activity of beta carotene be conducted?
I am currently doing some research regarding beta-carotene. With reference to other sources and their methodoloy for DPPH assay, I conducted my experiment but failed to find any significant peak in ...
0
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0answers
43 views
How do emulsifier-free food spreads work?
Context: my father habitually eats a particular brand of free-from olive oil butter substitute; it's an emulsion of oils in water (as far as I can tell). One of this brand's big selling points is the ...
3
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0answers
270 views
Why dried, closed coconuts go through carbonation?
Some dried, closed coconuts go through carbonation:
The white meat of the coconut becomes disintegrated and smeary
The liquid becomes carbonated with a bit sour-salty tasted coconut water (which ...
20
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5answers
4k views
How would I measure the Carbon Dioxide content in Coca Cola over a period of time?
I'm sorry if this is a broad question, but I am trying to plan a simple experiment. I am wondering is there a somewhat simple way of continuously measuring $\ce{CO2}$. I already know the initial ...
2
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0answers
39 views
Is there an edible version of nylon string?
I'm working on a project where I have to check the feasibility for product ideas. It has to connect other parts and float on the water's surface.
My friend thought that maybe glass noodles would be ...
1
vote
1answer
76 views
Does clove oil/eugenol interact with nylon type plastics?
So I am aware that the eugenol in clove oil readily melts #6 type plastic (polystyrene). Polypropylene has a higher resistance, while HDPE type plastics seem to have the highest resistance.
My main ...
1
vote
2answers
58 views
Is a liquid vitamin E supplement possible without additives? [closed]
Looking at E vitamin products sold commercially, all “pure vitamin E oil” products seem to be for skincare rather than consumption as a supplement.
I have read that d-alpha tocopherol is the form of ...
2
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1answer
93 views
How is antioxidant activity of carotenoids determined?
I am doing some research regarding carotenoids and beta-carotene. After extracting the sample, I have not been able to find a way to measure antioxidant activity of beta-carotene. I have $\pu{0.1mM}$ ...
0
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0answers
55 views
Home test for the presence of sugar in erythritol
Is there a test to distinguish erythritol from sugar at home without expensive lab equipment or exotic reagents? Sometimes I purchase erythritol online and wonder if it's been diluted with sugar.
0
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2answers
706 views
Is it wrong to allege that lemons and limes are alkaline? [duplicate]
Please ELI5; I've never studied chemistry. I read about alkalinity v. basicity here and on Sciencing.com.
Lemons and limes are doubtless acidic.
Lime: The pH range of lime is 2.00 to 2.35.
Lemon: ...
7
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1answer
795 views
Is black tea a pH indicator?
Today, I made a cup of lemon tea in a different way than usual. Instead of pouring hot water in to a mug containing lemon juice and black tea (my normal routine), I let the tea steep for a little ...
2
votes
1answer
96 views
Coffee Degassing
I roast coffee, and currently package it in plastic bags with one way 'degassing' valves.
As soon as coffee is roasted, it starts giving off $\ce{CO2},$ a process which continues for days, and ...
10
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2answers
3k views
If LPG gas burners can reach temperatures above 1700 °C, then how do HCA and PAH not develop in extreme amounts during cooking?
According to What is the temperature of heat generated from LPG gas?, the temperature of (1) LPG gas is above 1700 degree Celsius.
Many of us are familiar with pan-frying meat (steak, pan-frying the ...
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1answer
111 views
NaCl and sour taste
This is a question from a 7th grade chemistry class.
Why does adding salt ($\ce{NaCl}$) to a cucumber soup makes it taste more sour?
My best guess is that the salt affects the dissociation levels ...
0
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0answers
27 views
Supplement weight by element or compound
When a vitamin or supplement claims, for example, that it contains
600 mg of calcium (as calcium carbonate)
what does that mean? Does each tablet contain 600 milligrams of the element calcium?
Or ...
-3
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1answer
434 views
Does LPG (cooking gas) react with water? [closed]
If cooking gas (or LPG) was exposed to some water in the gasline system, what would be the resultant by-product, and would this induce flame into the cylinder for explosion?
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1answer
119 views
What is the difference between the sugar in a fresh fruit and the sugar in a juice?
In this paper of the WHO, there is a distinction between intrinsic sugars, who are incorporated within the structure of intact fruit and vegetables, and sugars naturally present in fruit juices. (page ...
12
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3answers
4k views
Chilling water in copper vessel
Does chilling drinking water in copper bottle result in any chemical reaction that turns it dangerous for consumption in any way?
Few days back, in summer, I carried kokum juice in copper bottle. I ...
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0answers
39 views
What was the process that created a plastic-looking material from the jam leftovers? [closed]
I was making apricot jam using fresh apricots and gelling sugar. All went well except I burnt it. Some of the solid parts sank to the bottom and stuck there. After putting the good stuff in jars, I ...
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0answers
23 views
Procedure for determining the levels of Acrylamide from a cup of coffee
For experimental purposes, I want to determine the level of Acrylamide in cups of coffee. Is there a method that doesn't use spectrometric analysis to determine it as I do not have access to it in the ...
2
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1answer
1k views
What Are Examples of Reducing Sugar in Mailliard Reaction?
I'm interested in food science, and I've been reading about Maillard reaction.
All of the articles / videos about Maillard reactions that I found online mention that reducing sugar and amino acids ...
