food science

“The restaurant dinners we held at China Chilcano in Washington, DC last summer went extremely well,” wrote Eat Just’s director of global communications, Carrie Kabat, in an emailed statement to WIRED. “We plan to resume these dinners this year.”Good Meat/Eat Just’s chicken had also previously been on sale in Singapore, but sales there have also been paused. “In Singapore, we are ramping up production and plan to begin serving shortly,” Kabat wrote.The goal of these early cultivated meat sales was likely to generate buzz,…

A recent study indicates that small dietary changes, such as substituting a beef burger for a turkey burger or choosing plant-based milk, can significantly reduce carbon emissions from food by 35% and improve diet quality, offering a practical approach to both environmental and health improvements. Credit: SciTechDaily.comMaking one small diet change — chicken instead of beef, plant milk instead of cow’s milk — could significantly curb carbon emissions and increase the healthfulness of your diet.Curbing carbon emissions…

Researchers at the University of Delaware are looking at how plants grown in space are more prone to infections of Salmonella compared to plants not grown in space or grown under gravity simulations. Credit: Evan Krape/ University of DelawareResearch team finds lettuce and other plants are more susceptible to bacterial infections in space than on Earth.Lettuce and other leafy green vegetables are part of a healthy, balanced diet — even for astronauts on a mission.It’s been more than three years since the National…

Urban garden in Nantes, France. Credit: Baptiste GrardUrban agriculture, while offering significant social and environmental benefits, has a carbon footprint considerably higher than conventional farming, according to a University of Michigan-led study. Strategic improvements in crop selection, infrastructure longevity, and waste utilization are suggested to enhance its sustainability.A new University of Michigan-led international study finds that fruits and vegetables grown in urban farms and gardens have a carbon…

Recent research has identified distinct brain pathways for fat and sugar cravings, explaining why combinations of these can lead to overeating. This discovery sheds light on the challenges of dieting and suggests new approaches for anti-obesity treatments. Credit: SciTechDaily.comResults reveal a “one-two punch” to the brain’s reward system, possibly impeding dieting efforts.Understanding why we overeat unhealthy foods has been a long-standing mystery. While we know food’s strong power influences our choices, the precise…

Researchers have developed an optimal “space meal” for astronauts on extended missions, focusing on a nutrient-rich vegetarian salad. The meal balances astronauts’ increased nutritional needs in space with sustainable growth and minimal resource usage. Credit: SciTechDaily.comResearchers have created a vegetarian salad as the ideal space meal for male astronauts, balancing nutrition and sustainability. The meal, tested positively on Earth, could be a key component in long-term space missions.Imagine blasting off on a…

There’s no denying it: Farming had a rough year. Extreme weather spun up storms and floods, unseasonal freezes and baking heat waves, and prolonged parching droughts. In parts of the world in 2023, tomato plants didn’t flower, the peach crop never came in, and the price of olive oil soared.To be a farmer right now—or an agronomist or an agricultural economist—is to recognize how closely those weird weather events are linked to climate change. In fact, when the United Nations Climate Change Summit, known as COP28, ran in…

Wasabi is an essential element of sushi, but many sushi lovers have not experienced real wasabi. Even in upscale restaurants, a  European horseradish-based substitute is often served. Sushi wouldn’t be the same without wasabi. But odds are that even if you have dined at a nice sushi restaurant, you probably haven’t had real wasabi. That green paste may have a very real, very spicy kick, but it likely is made from a European horseradish. Speaking of Chemistry compares the real deal with the commonly used substitute found…

Recent research reveals that fermenting alliums like onions with fungi can naturally mimic meat flavors, offering a promising solution for enhancing plant-based meat alternatives without synthetic additives. Plant-based substitutes like tempeh and bean burgers offer protein-packed choices for individuals looking to cut down on meat. However, mimicking the taste and smell of meat is difficult, and many companies use artificial additives for this purpose.  A recent study in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry…

By Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich November 28, 2023A new study challenges existing assumptions about linalool, a key component influencing beer’s aroma. The research reveals that the odor threshold difference between linalool’s enantiomers is significantly less than previously thought, providing new insights into the development of beer’s aroma during the brewing process and storage.Hop-derived ingredients not only enhance the shelf-life and add a bitter taste to beer, but…