BSF’s News Digest July-August 2024

In the spotlight

FSA approves Monk fruit decoctions as non-novel food | Food Manufacture
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has given monk fruit decoctions the green light, with the commodity consumed to a significant degree in the UK before May 1997.

FDA bans brominated vegetable oil in beverages amid potential health concerns | Food Ingredients 1st
The US FDA has revoked authorization for using brominated vegetable oil in beverages after an updated assessment finds the chemical has the “potential for adverse health effects in humans.” The new ruling will come into force on August 2, 2024, after decades of what some believe has been “inaction” on BVO.

Spray drying encapsulation of flavor compounds and essential oils | Elsevier
This chapter from the book „Spray Drying for the Food Industry“ explores spray drying for microencapsulation of essential oils and flavor compounds, highlighting factors like wall materials, core characteristics, and drying conditions, and potential applications.

UK first European country to approve lab-grown meat, starting with pet food | The Guardian
Lab-grown pet food is to hit UK shelves as Britain becomes the first country in Europe to approve cultivated meat. The Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have approved the product from the company Meatly.

We now know the exact part of the brain behind your curiosity | Science Alert
Being curious is a quintessential part of being human, driving us to learn and adapt to new environments. For the first time, scientists have pinpointed the spot in the brain where curiosity emerges.

Extract toolkit for essential oils: State of the art, trends, and challenges | Food Chemistry
Extraction technology affects the yield and quality of EOs. Current research status of EOs extraction methods was summarized. Many new technologies including ohmic, enzyme and so forth are used to extract EOs.

Unlocking creativity: Scientists discover origin of 'eureka' moments in the brain | Study Finds
A team from the University of Utah Health and Baylor College of Medicine peered into the inner workings of the brain to uncover the neural roots of creative thinking. Their findings, published in the journal BRAIN, reveal how different parts of our gray matter team up to produce those lightbulb moments.

Some artificial sweeteners are forever chemicals that could be harming aquatic life | The Conversation
A recent study from researchers at the University of Florida shows a commonly used artificial sweetener, sucralose, may have negative effects on our freshwater ecosystems.

12 Common types of lemons and how they are different | Mashed
Lemons are a versatile fruit with a tart, tangy flavor. They come in a wide selection of types, each with unique characteristics like taste, size, shape, and color. Understanding these differences helps select the perfect lemon for citrus-based recipes.

6 Simple ways to make cheap beer taste so much better | Tasting Table
Cheap beer has a love-hate relationship due to its low alcohol content and light flavor. However, it lacks unique flavor profiles. To make cheap beer taste better, people mix spirits and flavorings, like adding lime wedges and salt rims to Mexican lagers.

Strawberries under the high-tech magnifying glass | Phys.org
A team from TU Bergakademie Freiberg, together with Serbian researchers, has now analyzed different strawberry varieties for the first time using ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry and examined how the biomarkers are distributed in the fruit. The chemists discovered that most of the biomarkers are found in the red skin of the strawberries.

How was popcorn discovered? Archaeologist traces its history back to the Americas thousands of years ago | ZME Science
Archaeology struggles to solve food mysteries due to decaying materials and lack of solid remains. Softer items like leftovers from meals are harder to find, but dry places and burning can preserve them.

Scents of Brazil: From cajuí to cashew and the unforgettable cajuína | Fragrantica
Brazil is a country that is really rich in everything. This land has so much in abundance, and when abundance isn't enough we still have variety. Let's take cashews and cajuí, for example.

The wonder of whisky | Chemistry World
Kit Chapman takes a closer look at the chemistry of the water of life, from the slow reactions of its ageing to testing for fakes.

Artificial flavours released by cooking aim to improve lab-grown meat | New Scientist
Lab-grown meat can be shaped into steaks and meatballs, but it can be lacking in the flavour department. Aromatic chemicals that are released when heated could offer a solution.

The perception interaction of complex fruits aroma system: Including binary, ternary, quaternary, and with different chain length, functional groups and substituent positions compounds | LWT
The study evaluated perceptual interactions between fruits' aroma compounds using various models, with S-curve, σ-τ diagram, and U model suitable for binary and ternary systems. Functional groups significantly influenced perception interactions.

Food aroma study may help explain why meals taste bad in space | RMIT
Scientists from RMIT University have led a world-first study on common food aromas that may help explain why astronauts report meals taste bland in space and struggle to eat their normal nutritional intake. This research, which is published in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology, has broader implications for improving the diets of isolated people, including nursing home residents, by personalising aromas to enhance the flavour of their food.

The ancient origins of frozen food | Mashed
Frozen food offers convenience and variety, but its origins can be traced back to ancient China and the Romans. Around 3000 B.C., Chinese and Romans used ice cellars and ice pits to store food, preserving it for several months.

Aroma active compounds of honey: Analysis with GC-MS, GC-O, and molecular sensory techniques | Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
In this systematic review, 187 different volatile compounds, including terpenoids, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, acids, ketones, and phenols, were identified in 33 different types of honey. Additionally, 63 different odor attributes were found, with the most dominant being sweet, floral/flowery, honey-like, fruity, green, and herbal-like. Compounds such as phenylacetic acid, γ-butyrolactone, ethyl phenylacetate, phenyl acetaldehyde, 8-hydroxylinalool, and furaneol were frequently associated with the distinctive smell of honey.

Arabica coffee production could decrease by 80% by 2050. Can Robusta save our morning coffee? | ZME Science
Study finds Robusta coffee to be a resilient alternative to the climate-threatened Arabica beans. Robusta is flexible because it has a large diversity and therefore different plants can be selected, depending on the weather conditions.

Smells may prime our gut to fight off infection | Phys.org
A study from the University of California, Berkeley, reveals that nematodes, like humans, can protect their intestinal cells from pathogenic bacteria by destroying iron-containing organelles called mitochondria, a crucial element in cell energy. The study suggests that humans, too, can pick up a smell from pathogens to fight off infections.

Enhancing odor analysis with Gas Chromatography–Olfactometry (GC-O): Recent breakthroughs and challenges | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
The article highlights the potential of GC-O and encourages further research and development in the field.

Beer in space: UF researchers study microgravity’s effect on fermentation | University of Florida
A recently published study by University of Florida researchers provides insight into how beer yeast might behave when fermented in outer space.

The banana apocalypse is near, but UMass Amherst biologists might have found a key to their survival | UMass Amherst
Discovery of molecular mechanisms used by a banana-destroying microbe brings hope to the breakfast table.

Molecular aroma composition of vanilla beans from different origins | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
This study demonstrates the first comparative analysis of odorant compositions in the three most important Vanilla varieties: Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla pompona, and Vanilla tahitensis from different origins.

Top four trends driving soft drinks innovation | Food Navigator
Active hydration; Hydration; Physical and mental energy; Digestive health

Fruit and alcohol? Chocolate and cheese? The surprising science of food pairing | The Guardian
Food scientists and chefs have been investigating and comparing the flavor compounds in various ingredients.

The origin story behind expiration dates | Tasting Table
Grocery shoppers often search for expiration or "best-by" dates, but their accuracy is debated. The regulation, allegedly influenced by a certain infamous Italian-American, remains a daunting date.

Sweet proteins: How they compare as sweeteners | Food Navigator
Sweet proteins can provide benefits that other sweeteners can’t, and without some of the drawbacks they provide. But how can they be produced?

The inventor of the Scoville scale was an early 20th-century pharmacologist | Mashed
The Scoville scale that we use to measure the spiciness of chili peppers was invented by an early 20th-century pharmacologist. Here's his story.

We’ve unlocked exotic new beer flavours using genetics | The Conversation
All lager beers taste quite similar, and the diversity of flavours and aromas is limited. This is mainly due to the small numbers of commercial yeast available for production. But what if we could break free from these constraints and create completely new and exciting flavours?

See more news: