The secret lies in the chemical behaviour of beta-fructofuranosyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside. Don't worry, that's just the chemical name for sucrose, or ordinary table sugar. Sucrose is a ...
Indeed, it is the same substance. The revelation that furniture varnish can appear in food would probably send scientifically primitive bloggers into a tizzy. This varnish, or shellac, is the...
"That's the way the cookie crumbles!" How often have you heard that expression? It is usually a statement of disappointment which may be paraphrased as "tough luck." But why does a cookie...
If you've made hot cocoa with powder, you've probably experienced the dark sludge at the bottom of the cup. This chocolate goop seems unavoidable, despite being absolutely certain that you...
Chocolate may be about to get better, sweeter and even more irresistible. Scientists have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the Criollo chocolate tree. Due to susceptibility to diseases, cocoa...
I think the first medicine I ever heard of was “Ricinus,” a liquidy concoction with which my mother plied me when she suspected I was constipated. I can’t imagine why as a child I would have had...
Lead is nasty. Since the body has a tough time eliminating it, exposure to very small amounts can cause poisoning over the long term. Diagnosis of lead poisoning is challenging because of the...