As Halloween revelers prepare to feast on chocolate, a new study from an international team of researchers, including the University of British Columbia, is pushing back the origins of the delicious sweet treat.
Archaeology
Oct 29, 2018
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243
Committed chocoholics, be warned. A health-robbing heavy metal, cadmium, lurks in the velvety recesses of your favorite indulgence.
Ecology
Feb 2, 2022
1
430
As much as modern society worships chocolate, cacao—the plant chocolate comes from—it was believed to be even more divine to ancient Mayas. The Maya considered cacao beans to be a gift from the gods and even used them ...
Archaeology
Jan 31, 2022
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424
Humans have put yeast to work for thousands of years to make bread, beer, and wine. Wild strains of yeast are also found in the natural fermentations that are essential for chocolate and coffee production. But, as new genetic ...
Biotechnology
Mar 24, 2016
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20
A simple kitchen sink experiment helped Northwestern University researchers discover that green tea leaves not only can be used to steep a good cup of tea, but they make an excellent antibacterial coating, too.
Materials Science
Aug 22, 2013
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0
Archaeologists say they have found traces of 2,500-year-old chocolate on a plate in the Yucatan peninsula, the first time they have found ancient chocolate residue on a plate rather than a cup, suggesting it may have been ...
Archaeology
Aug 6, 2012
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1
"Natural" foods are trendy, and proponents claim that little or no processing helps preserve the food's inherent flavor. Research now published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows that, at least for certain ...
Biochemistry
Jun 27, 2023
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35
Chocolate is almost universally adored. But few know the complicated process of how cacao beans become chocolate. Did you know cacao tree farming is done mostly by small-scale low-income farmers in Latin America, particularly ...
Environment
Oct 6, 2020
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10
According to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), global cocoa bean production in 2017-2018 was 4.6 million metric tons. The global chocolate brands couldn't exist without cocoa. But today the plant is under threat ...
Biotechnology
Jul 22, 2019
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6
For decades, researchers have worked to improve cacao fermentation by controlling the microbes involved. Now, to their surprise, a team of Belgian researchers has discovered that the same species of yeast used in production ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 15, 2015
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24
