Halloween tradition of carving pumpins Today I want to talk about how food is an irreplaceable element of Halloween celebrations. In the past weeks and days, we have been carving our own pumpkins and competing for the best design. But do we know why we are carving pumpkins?   Most of you know that the pumpkin lantern is associated with Jack-o-lantern. The Irish claim to be the first to tell the story of Jack. The legend tells that Jack was a miserly man who once tricked the Devil into transforming himself into a sixpence, then snapped the money into his pocket and made the Devil prom ..read more

Known as mother dough, sourdough starters have been around for nearly 6,000 years. Many people use this type of technology to produce their own breads or baked delicious sweets. It is not a mistery that many researchers and bread-makers want to know how sourdough technology came about. Old starters are surrounded by some kind of mystical meaning. What is a sourdough? – if we were microscopic – we would be able to see yeast consuming carbohydrates and other bacteria producing gas and lactic acid. This is what gives a sour flavour to sourdough. Sourdough starters, Egyptians and Romans  Dr ..read more

October is one of my favourite months of the year. Not only is the month when most of the people I love were born, but is also the month where we celebrate Halloween . My friends know how much I love Halloween so I couldn’t help but looking for some Halloween-themed topics (also in the podcast). Today I am sharing the script from the latest podcast episode where I explore one of the hypothesis that are behind the explanation for the unusual behaviour of young girls (and men) in Salem, Massachusetts in the 17th century. A scientific theory is linking Salem mass hysteria with Ergotism. Let’s all ..read more

If you had to describe a marshmallow to a food scientist you would probably say that it is just a foam that is stabilised with gelatin. You see, making a marshmallow is quite simple; you will only need sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, and – something essential: air. How to make a marshmallow: Gelatin Gelatin is probably the most essential part of a marshmallow. It is what builds the scaffolding that keeps all the sugar and flavour in place; gelatin can give the marshmallow its stretchy, gooey texture. To make gelatin, you would need to break down collagen – which is the main connective material i ..read more

Originally found in Southeast and East Asian regions, Tane koji is described as spores of Aspergillus oryzae. Traditional Japanese fermentation industries use Aspergillus oryzae to produce soy sauce, sake, bean curd seasoning, and vinegar (among the many). A variety of enzymes are secreted by filamentous fungi. Since the 13-15th century (Heian and Muromachi period), filamentous fungi inoculations have been commercially available as ‘koji’. This suggests that it was cultivated without knowledge that it is a microorganism. Therefore, the word ‘koji’ refers to both the material fermente ..read more

Are you looking for a better understanding of non-HFSS foods? Do you want to know which brand is thriving? Brave is a UK plant-based snack brand. They have recently developed a grain-free, sugar-free breakfast cereal product made from chickpeas and peas. This product is known as Super Hoops (available in Original and Cinnamon flavours) and, as you can guess, is characterised by a high protein and fibre content and a low carbohydrate content. “It took us 18 months and over 100 trials to get it right, and it was worth it. We’re so proud of Super Hoops and we can’t wait to disrupt the category ..read more

So, you are dealing with an academic written assignment and you met the famous ‘Writer’s block’. You are in front of a white paper (or a screen), trying to understand the correct sentence to start your essay with, or worse, you are entirely unable to begin writing any word at all, and you feel like you have a mental block. This might be an issue as you will easily have many distractions, therefore, will start procrastinating.  Practice, get ready to write Don’t worry; this happens to everyone and you can quickly fix it. Sometimes one of the main reasons is just that you are not used to wr ..read more

Do you remember some posts ago when I was talking about this new milk-beverage-type product based on potato proteins? While I was very pleased to see an increase in offer, I was still confused about why we should mimic milk at all costs instead of creating brand new product concepts. While I still am of that idea,  I am open to changing opinions. In my recent reading, I have found that potato proteins might be a very effective alternative to animal-derived milk proteins, especially regarding building muscles. Ok, this is not my goal as I do not strength train, but I think it might interes ..read more

If you are a cacao lover like me and you like trying new varieties and brands, you have probably already tried vegan chocolate as well as all of the possible combinations of cacao percentages and flavours. Today what I want to talk to you about is a type of chocolate that is cacao-free. What does it mean? Exactly what I have just said. This London based start-up, WNWN Food Labs, has developed (and sells) cacao free chocolate. We are used to understanding that when we produce something that is free-from, that thing that is usually excluded has some negative connotations. But what is negative a ..read more

Suppose you are a food science student studying in Europe and have never heard about Ecotrophelia. In that case, you are missing an excellent opportunity to meet relevant people from the food industry and a great moment of confrontation with your peers and future colleagues. Last week, my students and I went to the Ecotrophelia UK final. My students have been shortlisted with their Pea-zza product idea, a gluten-free, fully customisable pizza dough fortified with pea proteins.  This year the Ecotrophelia UK was held in the Tesco HQ quarters in Welwyn Gardens, and let me tell you, that is ..read more