Questions tagged [food]
Any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body.
317
questions
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1answer
72 views
Why can we eat salty food, but can't stomach salty water?
I know that too much sodium is bad for our health. However, it struck me as odd that we like to add salt to pasta sauce or other foods we eat, yet trying to drink salt water can bring on the gag ...
4
votes
2answers
74 views
Do humans have any biological adaptations to eating cooked food?
Humans have been cooking food for at least tens of thousands of years. The presumed reason why cooking took root in nearly all human cultures is that cooked food is easier to digest. However, cooking ...
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2answers
102 views
Is Pork more prone to carrying higher loads of parasites than Beef?
My friend told me that pork is dangerous due to containing worms.
I told her that beef contains worms too and that's why we cook it.
We went to steak restaurant and ordered "medium" beef.
...
0
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0answers
42 views
How much ribose do we eat?
I am wondering how much ribose we ingest as food? (Deoxy)Ribose is found in the backbone of DNA and RNA. So, we eat ribose as part of the nucleic acid found in plant and animal foods. While protein, ...
2
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0answers
35 views
Do bees from different continents have different “taste”?
This question was already asked by me at Gardening Stack Exchange, but I was advised to ask it here instead. I see there is already a closely related question: Do animals have different taste ...
3
votes
2answers
121 views
Why does vacuum sealing of foods prevent spoilage from anaerobic bacteria?
I have noted that many purchased food items in containers only require refrigeration after they have been opened, thus eliminating the vacuum seal. Air contains bacteria and fungus spores that enter ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
Why most small organisms seem not to be interested in any organic matter which has all moisture removed?
On the first glance, it seems that most small organisms do not exhibit any interest in consuming any live or dead organic matter if it is completely dehydrated. Regardless if the food consists of ...
0
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0answers
33 views
Why is it (allegedly) dangerous to feed ducks with breadcrumbs and pieces of bread?
I used to go down to the local lake all the time with leftover bread and throw little pieces of it to the hungry duckies, who very eagerly fetched it and ate it while happily quacking away.
I thought ...
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1answer
41 views
Are earthworms edible?
Just that. It seemed weird for me not to find anything on Google. But I still think that they might be edible.
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0answers
32 views
A balanced diet with the minimum carbon footprint [closed]
Many studies shows that 1 kg of non-vegetarian food as 3-4 times more carbon footprint than 1 kg of vegetarian food. I think that does not represent the complete picture food from animal sources are ...
0
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0answers
29 views
Why don't our tongue receptors for salt and sugar adapt to them, like the ones for pepper do?
Many (most?) physiological receptors adapt to the substance they bind to, leading to higher dosages required to elicit the same response.
In pharmacology, itās called ādrug toleranceā. In physiology, ...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
Can aflotoxin presence be inferred from the mild discolorotion at the middle parts of a hazelnut?
Can aflotoxin presence be inferred from the mild discolorotion at the middle parts of a hazelnut?
For instance, how likely is it that the hazelnuts pictured below contain Aflotoxin?
P.S.: these ...
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0answers
24 views
Optimal bacterial vegetative cell inactivation method(s) after subtilis spores germinated under pressure
I am writing a PhD research proposal and being a newbie in the field I am lost a little bit in the bacterial vegetative cell inactivation methods in foods.
I should propose two main methods to my ...
3
votes
1answer
46 views
What's the role of bromelain in pineapple?
Bromelain refers to one of two proteases found in pineapple and its relatives. Like other proteases, many believe it has therapeutic uses and it's the subject of a lot of research. But what role does ...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
Can viruses stabilize and increase the shelf life of wine and other foods?
When you make wine, you use the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to ferment sugary juices. After you're done, you want to avoid them doing anything by using some chemicals etc. There are also other ...
3
votes
1answer
125 views
Are these spinach leaves?
I often buy baby spinach from the store, and sometimes, in a few bags of spinach I also find these leaves:
They have a different shape than the spinach leaves, they are a lighter green, and they ...
2
votes
1answer
43 views
Does the composition of a meal play a big, or small, role in food's thermogenic effect on the body?
Reading in: "Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk / Calories: Total Macronutrient Intake, Energy Expenditure, and Net Energy Stores" [NCBI Resources]:
"The thermogenic ...
-3
votes
1answer
46 views
Violation of Conservation of energy In food chain?
Food chains use a unidirectional transfer of energy. Plants absorb energy from the sun, then the energy goes on to next tropic level and so on. But in this system, energy source is the Sun.
...
-3
votes
1answer
122 views
Why would it be dangerous to consume cooked bats even if they are linked to viruses? [closed]
(Not sure if this is the right SE for this question. I'm asking this here, because I'm looking for a biological answer, if one exists.)
This (potentially very naive) question is inspired by this news ...
3
votes
1answer
57 views
Additive property of taste
It might be a dumb question to ask, but I find it confusing.
Is the perception of taste additive?
Or to be more precise, can two tasty food items combine to give a more delicious product?
For me, ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Can storing food in a de-pressurized container result in anaerobic bacteria growth?
I was looking for a way to store for longer some products which go bad quickly. I found a stainless steel container made with a hermetic lid that you can remove air through (using a pump) so you ...
2
votes
0answers
39 views
What happens when you cook tree spinach with aluminum?
The Internet is filled with warnings that you shouldn't cook tree spinach(Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) in aluminum, because it will react and create toxins that cause explosive diarrhea when consumed. ...
1
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1answer
107 views
How are proteins reused in the body? [duplicate]
Part of what we eat are proteins,
and our body is in part build of proteins.
Are the proteins of the body build based on proteins in food at all?
Are proteins in food directly reused in the body,
or ...
0
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0answers
31 views
Is feeding wild pigeons really “weakening the entire species”?
While reading about what foods are healthy for pigeons, I came across the following paragraph: (Source)
Human interaction and improper feeding of domestic and wild pigeons is believed to be one of ...
2
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1answer
62 views
How much heme is in cooked pork and beef; why is cooked pork (“the other white meat”) not red?
The new video See how Impossible Pork will make you forget about pig meat includes a very short discussion of
the addition of heme to the product to make it taste like beef
the deep red color of a ...
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0answers
324 views
Which white beans have phosphatidylserine?
Many articles online say that plant foods are poor sources of phosphatidylserine, except for white beans, which have 107 mg per 100 g.Ā¹ Ā² ā“ Honestly though, I think they might just be repeating a ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
Do vitamin enriched foods preserve their value when exposed to higher temperatures?
At what temperatures do different kinds of vitamins are destroyed or lose their nutritional value?
Imagine you went to the store and bought vitamin enriched cacao powder. Then you made yourself a hot ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
Does body absorb nutrients less efficiently if we ingest the same amount at the same time, opposed to spreading over a larger period?
I would like to understand if ingesting a certain amount of nutrients will result in different absorption from my body, depending on whether I ingest that amount spread over time or everything at once....
1
vote
1answer
159 views
What are the differences between mammal and insect digestion of cellulose?
I know that digestion of cellulose is difficult in mammals and requires a lot of steps. But I am fascinated by the idea of one day achieving human digestion of cellulose.
Which got me thinking about ...
0
votes
1answer
73 views
Why do we need to grow plants to make food?
Why can't we synthesize the nutrients that we need directly from chemical reactions, from energy and simple inorganic molecules found around us? If it's hard, why not try to copy how plants do it?
I ...
21
votes
3answers
6k views
Why are sugars in whole fruits not digested the same way sugars in juice are?
In this paper of the WHO, it is claimed that we should limit our consumption of free sugars:
WHO recommends a reduced intake of free sugars throughout the
lifecourse. [...] Free sugars include ...
0
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0answers
15 views
What is the percentage of food that goes to a lamb fetus?
Does any one know the percentage of food eaten by a pregnant ewe that goes to the lamb fetus?
Specifically how much does the mother take for her body from every one kilo of food
and how much does ...
23
votes
1answer
7k views
How can a drink contain 1.8 kcal energy while 0 g fat/carbs/protein?
How is it possible that the Red Bull Zero contains 0 gramms of fat, carbs and protein, but it still has 1.8 kcal of "energy".
I always thought that the human body can gain energy only from 3 kinds of ...
8
votes
2answers
151 views
How does the stomach handle continuous eating?
In biology class, we learned this familiar story: Food enters the stomach, the stomach churns it with acid and enzymes, and then, somehow, the stomach senses when the stew is ready and releases it ...
1
vote
0answers
53 views
Are olfactive indicators always the result of inadequacy in sanitation?
Question
If you can smell the scent of food in a thoroughly cleaned container, does that imply trace amounts of food particles remain?
Scope
It goes without saying that our sense of smell is ...
0
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0answers
278 views
How to tell the difference between mould and condensed milk and sugar
I have had sweetened condensed milk in the refrigerator for some weeks (or months perhaps?). The can was covered with aluminium foil.
I noticed some disk-like artefacts on its surface, which are ...
2
votes
3answers
8k views
What are the bare minimum nutrients required to survive as a human?
I am trying to determine the bare minimum nutritional requirements to survive as a human, ignoring energy (caloric) requirements. Another way to ask this question is: What elements can humans not live ...
-1
votes
1answer
39 views
Do violet potatoes contain more or less solanine than normal potatoes?
What is the solanine content of the violet potatoes? Is it more or less than in the normal potatoes?
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2answers
2k views
Is sugar absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the mouth?
If you let a piece of candy melt in your mouth, but did not swallow it, would the sugar be absorbed through the walls of your mouth?
1
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1answer
82 views
If overcooked hard boiled eggs show these green sulfide rings, why do scrambled/fried eggs not show this?
In the image above, the dark green rings are ferrous sulfide rings, caused when the sulfur from the egg white reacts with the iron in the egg yolk when the egg is overcooked.
I was wondering, given ...
0
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0answers
32 views
How to prevent mold from building on food and how to kill it along with neurotoxins?
I have some food/fruits chopped in very small parts, whatever it is that needs to be conserved during long time, when it is given to me it can be somewhat wet or humid, after some time of keeping it ...
1
vote
1answer
195 views
Is cannibalism part of mainstream food-chain?
There are some species who sometimes eat their own kinds. Is this cannibalism considered their regular food? Do the link in food-chain for those animals make a loop on themselves?
Can this statement: ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
How do astronauts eat in space?
If there is no gravity in space how does the food enter the stomach?
My guess is that it is due to the movement of the esophagus.Am I correct?
0
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1answer
98 views
What does the number after Vitamin B signify?
Does the number after Vitamin B signify anything? For example what is the significance of 12 in Vitamin B12?
4
votes
1answer
80 views
Can someone help me to identify what kind of pear is this?
I went to my local groceries supermarket (in Lima, Peru) and found this cheerful looking pear named locally as "pera canela". But I found it weird as the only variety which I'm aware of is Packham's ...
3
votes
3answers
265 views
Air bubble in addled egg
I'm a complete novice in biology. This is just a question that arose during Saturday night warmup and there is no better place to get answers :)
So, as probably most of you know, if you want to ...
0
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0answers
32 views
Why do some foods do not taste good when eaten together that eaten separately would taste great
The way I understand it, 'good tasting food' is evolutionary concept e.g to be able to distinguish between high nutritional value foods and ones that have no nutritional value whatsoever.
So if well-...
3
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0answers
43 views
What do chimpz/bonobos/orangutangs/gorillas feed their babies with?
I just read this question and it made me curious about what a more original baby diet would look like. So, at what age do our closest relatives in the animal kingdom start giving their offspring more ...
0
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0answers
20 views
What is the consensus, if it exists, on the (absence of) biological effects of artificial sweeteners?
I tried to Google (and PubMed) the question, but it seems to be fairly polarized debate and there does not seem to be a consensus as to whether sweeteners like asparatme, acesulfame etc. have ...
2
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2answers
258 views
Is identifying the genus of a fungus (mushroom specifically) enough?
Does the genus of a mushroom have enough information about it, without the species?
Let's say I wanted to identify a mushroom (when picking) to see if I can safely pick and later eat it. Let's say I ...
