Light Intensity Causes “Skunky Beer”

enviroguy08 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:50:59 +0000

Chemists at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill have determined that the offensive “skunky” taste and smell that is sometimes found in beer has to do with a process called photodegradation. What that basically means is that the beverages are exposed to too much light that ultimately causes a chemical reaction in the hops that produces the foul tatse and smell.

This is not a new concept. Traditionally, beer has been packaged in brown or green bottles to help prevent the “light struck” effect caused by visible and UV light. It makes me wonder how certain brewers get around this while packaging their brew in clear bottles. Is that whay I am always encouraged to put a lime in a Corona?

This phenomenon is not isolated to beer, as many wine enthusiasts will attest. In fact, there are a number of foods and beverages that are affected by over-exposure to light. As a result, Italian researchers have conducted many tests in an effort to redefine the shelf life of various food and beverage products. By measuring various temperatures and light levels, they are hoping to establish a more accurate method for determining the “best by” dates on food packages.

I always thought those dates on the packages were arbitrary. Has anyone else had any “skunky” food experiences? Please share…

Why Scientists Are Measuring Suagr Content in Trees

enviroguy08 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:15:20 +0000

The amount of sugar in the sap of maple tree varies. Not only does it vary from tree to tree, but it can also vary from year to year within the same tree. On average, maple tree sap contains somwhere around 2-4% sugar.

So what – right? Well, the reason this is important to maple syrup producers, environmentalists and pancake lovers, is because the more sugar that is in the sap, the less water there is as well. The less water there is, the less time it takes to boil off the excess water to produce syrup. The lower the boiling time, the less fuel that is consumed by the boilers. The less fuel used…you get my point.

The question that has now come up is whether or not high sugar content in trees is genetic in nature or whether it is solely based on external environmental factors. To find out, scientists in the north-eastern part of the United States are sampling over 20,000 maples trees using refractometers to measure the sugar levels. Once the study is done, further testing will determine if a tree can be cloned or otherwise reproduced that has a high sugar content as well.

And they say too much sugar is bad for you?

Technika - Measure Your Environment

Light Intensity Causes “Skunky Beer”

Why Scientists Are Measuring Suagr Content in Trees