All posts tagged: food science

Tweaking the smell of cat food can encourage fussy felines to eat

Tweaking the smell of cat food can encourage fussy felines to eat

Published by skeptic

Cats may find food more appealing if it has a distinct odour Jaromir/Getty Images Cats that refuse their regular food might simply have become disenchanted by its odour – a discovery that suggests new strategies pet owners can explore to encourage their felines to eat. Many owners have felt the frustration of feeding finicky cats – buying food that the animals seem to like, only to see them turn their noses up at it a few days later. While that can give cats a reputation for being demanding, it turns out that simply tweaking the way the food smells could accommodate the pets and make mealtimes more enjoyable, says Masao Miyazaki at Iwate University, Japan. “This might include adding a topper, slightly varying the food or refreshing the feeding environment,” he says. “Cats may not be ‘picky’ in the human sense, but instead may lose interest when the smell becomes familiar.” He and his colleagues ran a series of experiments with 12 cats – six males and six females, none of which had been sterilised. They …

Scientists Have Made a French Fry Breakthrough

Scientists Have Made a French Fry Breakthrough

Published by skeptic

French fries are delicious, but notoriously unhealthy. A research team at the University of Illinois, however, has developed a deceptively straightforward method to keep the satisfying taste and crunch without requiring as much oil. The cooking method combines traditional frying and microwave heating. Adding that microwave step could reduce the amount of oil used in the process, meaning you would absorb less fat with each bite. All the secrets to being able to cook fries in this way have been laid out in two studies published in Current Research in Food Science and The Journal of Food Science. French Fries and Health Although popular, fried foods contain high levels of fat, which is linked to several health problems, including obesity and hypertension. “Consumers want healthy foods, but at the time of purchase, cravings often prevail,” says Pawan Singh Takhar, author of one of the two studies. “The high oil content adds flavor, but it also contains a lot of energy and calories.” It’s precisely with the goal of helping consumers make better food choices without …

Methane-eating microbes turn greenhouse gas into fuel, food, and bioplastics

Methane-eating microbes turn greenhouse gas into fuel, food, and bioplastics

Published by Jenni Sidey

Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, warming the planet far faster than carbon dioxide over the short term. Yet much of the world’s methane escapes into the air from landfills, farms, mines, and wastewater systems. Scientists are now uncovering a surprising ally in the fight against climate change: tiny microbes that eat methane and can turn it into useful products. A new review of fast-moving research shows that these microbes, called methanotrophs, could help reduce methane emissions while creating fuels, animal feed, and biodegradable plastics. By harnessing these unusual bacteria, researchers hope to turn one of the planet’s climate threats into a resource for industry and society. How Methanotrophs Work: Nature’s Gas Eaters Methanotrophs are bacteria that consume methane for both energy and carbon. They thrive in many environments, from wetlands, rice paddies, and forest soils to lakes, sediments, and even hot springs. Advances in high-value resource recovery of greenhouse gases driven by methanotrophic communities. (CREDIT: Maximum Academic Press) In the lab, scientists have shown that these microbes can oxidize methane step …

The one diet that’s good for everything: Best ideas of the century

The one diet that’s good for everything: Best ideas of the century

Published by skeptic

The Mediterranean diet is the crème de la crème of healthy eating. Filled with fibre, vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, some fish and minimal meat and dairy, it brings a smorgasbord of health – and planetary – benefits, all while being utterly delicious. “It’s not only healthy, it’s also extremely tasty,” says Luigi Fontana at the University of Sydney in Australia. Unlike certain dietary fads, the Mediterranean diet is backed up by decades of evidence. But it is only in the 21st century that a series of randomised controlled trials established it as the scientific gold standard. In the 1940s, physiologist Ancel Keys was among the first to argue that the diet cuts the risk of heart disease thanks to low levels of saturated fat – found in meat and dairy – which increases the presence of artery-clogging cholesterol. Keys and his wife Margaret, a nutritionist, conducted a study comparing people’s diet and heart health across seven countries, discovering that the Mediterranean diet was linked to a lower risk of heart disease. But they didn’t account …