/oss/taxonomy/term/770/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/think-twice-about-opting-out-sauerkraut <p>If you’ve ever lined up for a classic hot dog on a hot day on campus, you may have reached for the yellow-white sauerkraut perched on the toppings table. The fermented cabbage sure dresses up that hot dog, but did you know this tasty flavour enhancer has a number of health benefits? Eating sauerkraut introduces a variety of “good bacteria” (probiotics) into the gut that control inflammation, boost immunity, keep the lining of the gut healthy, supply vitamins (particularly K2), and help with digestion. On top of all that, sauerkraut can also serve as a laxative!</p> Thu, 05 May 2022 16:58:04 +0000 Haleh Cohn 9104 at /oss /oss/article/artificial-wine-really <p>Cat pee, a mouse nest, wet dog, sauerkraut, burnt match, moldy socks, rotten eggs, vanilla, menthol, and plastic bandage. An unusual list to be sure. But there is a connection. These are all terms used by expert wine tasters to describe “notes” that make up the symphony of aromas and flavours experienced when sipping a sample of the beverage that has delighted people for over 6000 years. Indeed, the conversion of grapes into wine is one of the oldest chemical processes known to humankind! And what a complex and fascinating process it is!</p> Thu, 21 Jan 2021 21:54:06 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8570 at /oss /oss/article/environment-food-health-news/new-meaning-natural-vanilla-flavor <p>Vanilla is the most popular flavor in North America. But it is not that often that one gets the chance to taste the “real stuff”. The flavor made from the beans of the vanilla orchid is expensive. This is why 99% of the time what is found in food comes from synthetic vanillin. The compound, which is also present in natural vanilla, can be prepared from wood pulp but today most of it comes from guaiacol a substance extracted from a petroleum derivative. Recently though a Japanese chemist, Mayu Yamamoto prepared the synthetic flavor from cow dung.</p> Tue, 30 Sep 2014 09:05:15 +0000 Ariel Fenster 2199 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-quirky-science-supplements-you-asked/you-asked-nutritional-yeast-and-adverse-reactions <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2014/12/Screen-Shot-2014-12-26-at-2.40.52-PM.png"><img alt="nutritional yeast" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2014/12/Screen-Shot-2014-12-26-at-2.40.52-PM-150x150.png" width="150" /></a>Had a question from a gentleman with a history of bloating after meals. He had a particularly bad episode after a dinner that included chicken Florentine soup and he wondered whether the “nutritional yeast” added to the soup could be the cause.  Nutritional yeast is just an inactivated form of the yeast that has been used for brewing beer and making wine for millennia. Because it has been inactivated with heat or salt, it does not cause fermentation, that is it does not convert sugar into alcohol. It is basically composed of protein with a good load of vitamins and minerals and has commonly been used as a dietary supplement. Indeed, Marmite and Vegemite are two formulations of the yeast that are popular in the UK and Australia, although having tasted these, I can't understand why.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Nutritional yeast is basically used to add flavour to foods. Part of the effect is due to its natural content of glutamic acid which brings out flavour. Indeed, glutamate is the active component of the classic flavor additive monosodium glutamate (MSG). Some people do have an adverse reaction to glutamate but it is rare. It is, however, possible that some other component in nutritional yeast can cause a problem in susceptible individuals. Idiosyncratic reactions to food are not uncommon. The only way to determine if the yeast causes a problem is to carry out a challenge. Has anyone experienced an adverse reaction with nutritional yeast?</p> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2014/12/26/you-asked-nutritional-yeast-and-adverse-reaction">Read more</a></p> Fri, 26 Dec 2014 21:44:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2224 at /oss /oss/article/quirky-science-you-asked/why-does-lipstick-cause-beer-lose-its-foam <p>It just wouldn’t be the same without the foam, would it? Beer I’m talking about. You don’t want the glass to be full of it, but you certainly want enough to tickle your lips when you go bottoms up. But if you happen to be wearing lipstick, you may have a problem. The foam may just collapse around your mouth! So what’s going on?</p> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:57:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1815 at /oss