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Food Science

New Research

The Scientific Reason You Should Add a Splash of Water to Your Whiskey

A computer simulation shows that diluting whiskey brings flavor molecules to the surface, improving the aroma and taste of the tipple

Happy National Soft Serve Day!

The Science of Soft Serve

It’s just like regular ice cream–with a few big differences

If you've eaten an avocado lately, chances are it was a Hass.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Holy Guacamole: How the Hass Avocado Conquered the World

Why one California postman’s delicious mistake now graces toast and tacos from California to New Zealand

The Secret Ingredient in Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Is Seventh-Day Adventism

America’s favorite processed breakfast was once the pinnacle of healthfulness—and spiritual purity

Cookie Dough was among 10 flavors found to contain low levels of glyphosate

New Research

Trace Amounts of Pesticide Found in Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

But don’t have a cow

Amelia Ceja is breaking boundaries at Ceja Vineyards, which was founded by Amelia, Pedro, Armando and Martha Ceja.

Food, Glorious Food

¡Salud! to the Mexican-American Wine Revolution

Ceja Vineyards breathes new life into Napa Valley’s wine industry

Trending Today

Meaty Secrets Behind the Record-Setting, 1,774-Pound Burger

The beefy behemoth was recently bestowed the title of world’s largest commercially available burger

Eight billion cans sold, and counting.

How Spam Went from Canned Necessity to American Icon

Out-of-the-can branding helped transform World War II’s rations into a beloved household staple

New Research

Global Fishing Fleets Waste Ten Percent of Catch

Every year, fisheries waste ten million tons of fish—enough to fill 4,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools

For 19th-century American bakers—who slaved for hours trying to make their doughs rise and their cakes puff up—the advent of baking powder was a revolution in a can.

The Great Uprising: How a Powder Revolutionized Baking

Before baking powder hit the scene in 1856, making cake was not a piece of cake

Baskets of local fruit for sale in Niagara, Ontario. Peaches are more frequently being grown in cold-weather climates like Canada as climate change affects the viability of crops.

Canadian Peaches and California Coffee: How Farmers Are Being Forced to Innovate in the Face of Climate Change

As the climate changes and global temperatures rise, farmers are having to change cultivation techniques and sometimes even crops.

When it comes to a crowdsourcing campaign, food might be an easier sell than feces. “Food is this amazing platform because we all have a connection to it, we all can relate,” says microbiologist Rachel Dutton. Not that poop isn't relatable, but, you know.

New Research

You Are What You Eat, And What You Eat Is Millions of Microbes

Now that they’ve tallied up American feces, researchers are turning to the other half of the microbial equation: food

Black soldier fly larvae

Trending Today

Got Food Waste? Get Some Maggots

In just a few hours, these tiny crawlers can eat more than their weight in food

New Research

How Common Are Food Allergies?

Roughly 3.6 percent of Americans have at least one food allergy or intolerance, study says

The Maillard Reaction's best-known application is in tasty, tasty food.

Why Food Smells So Good When It’s Browning

A complex chemical reaction called the Maillard Reaction is responsible

Taste receptors for salty, sweet, bitter and sour are found all over the tongue.

The Taste Map of the Tongue You Learned in School Is All Wrong

Modern biology shows that taste receptors aren’t nearly as simple as that cordoned-off model would lead you to believe

Can you tell which it is?

The 1870s Dairy Lobby Turned Margarine Pink So People Would Buy Butter

Margarine or butter? The question has deep roots, and you shouldn’t even ask it in Wisconsin

Chocolate, coffee and tea all played a role in overturning a medical theory that had dominated the Western world for more than a millennium.

How Coffee, Chocolate and Tea Overturned a 1,500-Year-Old Medical Mindset

The humoral system dominated medicine since the Ancient Greeks—but it was no match for these New World beverages

New Research

Did Peckish Christians Make Chickens More Social?

Religious dietary laws in the Middle Ages could have helped make the fowl less aggressive

Would you trust nutrition research underwritten by a GMO company?

People Don’t Trust Scientific Research When Companies Are Involved

But sometimes, they should

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