/oss/taxonomy/term/343/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/chicken-soups-label-jewish-penicillin-more-whimsy-fact <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-chicken-soups-medicinal-value-is-more-whimsy-than-fact">Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>“As the Good Book says, when a poor man eats a chicken, one of them is sick.”</p> Fri, 26 Jan 2024 18:27:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9818 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-nutrition/you-can-determine-colour-egg-looking-chickens-earlobe <p>Yes, that's right. Chickens do have ears although they are hidden by the feathers on the side of the head. But when the feathers are pushed aside, the openings that serve as ears appear. There is no outer ear, such as we humans have, but chickens do have earlobes which can be clearly seen. The colour of the lobe varies with the breed of the chicken, ranging from white to almost black. Chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs exclusively while birds with dark lobes lay brown eggs. The fascinating Araucana breed of chickens can even have earlobes that are a pale green or blue colour.</p> Thu, 18 Apr 2019 19:35:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7725 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health-and-nutrition/chicken-colours <p>Why is chicken breast white and dark meat dark?  It all has to do with different kinds of muscle.  Dark meat is a result of the predominant presence of slow oxidative muscle fibres used for sustained activity by active muscles such as found in the legs and thighs.  These fibres have a continuous rich supply of oxygen and generate low levels of force over long periods of time.  They contain high levels of a protein called myoglobin that helps facilitate oxygen transport from the blood.</p> Wed, 31 May 2017 14:32:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2510 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-health-news-quirky-science/joe-schwarcz-petas-science-wing-nuts <div> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> </div> Sun, 22 Sep 2013 20:05:15 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2015 at /oss /oss/article/environment-food-health-news/chicken-requires-careful-handling <p>Estimates are that some 55 million people in Canada and the U.S become ill every year from eating tainted food with more deaths attributed poultry than any other food. That of course is partly due to poultry being the most popular meat, with consumption being about 83 pounds per capita per year. Tests by Consumers Union show that virtually all chicken is contaminated by bacteria. That by itself is no great surprise. Chickens’ guts, like those of humans, are filled with all sorts of bacteria and cause no harm to the bird.</p> Mon, 13 Jan 2014 19:28:01 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2067 at /oss /oss/article/diets-food-health/when-protein-not-protein <p>You need protein to build muscle. We have all heard that, probably as early as elementary school. And it is true. Muscle is mostly made of protein and its source is protein in the diet. But the route is not direct. Proteins are complex molecules composed of hundreds to thousands of amino acids linked together. When consumed, these chains are broken down into smaller fragments called peptides as well as into individual amino acids.</p> Mon, 30 Mar 2015 01:43:47 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2248 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/arsenic-poultry <p>If you dine on chicken McNuggets, you’ll be getting a good dose of trans fats. But at least you won’t be ingesting any arsenic. That’s because MacDonalds only buys chicken meat from producers who do not feed arsenic to their chickens. Now you’re confused. Arsenic is a poison. Why would any chicken producer want to feed it to the birds it wants to sell? Because, believe it or not, in tiny doses it causes the chickens to gain weight faster and it also protects them from parasitic infections.</p> Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:59:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1572 at /oss