PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A step toward avoiding the dreaded chocolate 'bloom'

2015-05-06
(Press-News.org) Chocolate is one of the world's most popular foods, but when a whitish coating called a bloom appears on the confection's surface, it can make consumers think twice about eating it. The coating is made up of fats and is edible, but it changes the chocolate's appearance and texture -- and not for the better. Now scientists report in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces new information that could help chocolatiers prevent blooms from forming.

Svenja K. Reinke and colleagues explain that baked goods and confectionery products, including chocolate, contain a mix of components that don't always stay in place. Fat blooms, for instance, occur when lipids from within a chocolate product wander to the surface. They've long been a scourge of chocolatiers, but no one fully understood what caused them. Reinke's team wanted to find out what factors were contributing to their formation.

The researchers investigated the microscopic structural changes that occur when chocolate blooms. They found that the lipids that are responsible move through pores and cracks in the chocolate. Along the way, they soften and dissolve solid cocoa butter into a liquid form. The researchers say reducing the number of pores and the liquid cocoa butter content of chocolate could help minimize blooms.

INFORMATION:

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 158,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us: Twitter Facebook



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New commentary in Women's Health Issues: Trauma-informed primary care

2015-05-06
WASHINGTON, DC (May 6, 2015) -- Patients with a history of trauma can benefit from working with healthcare providers who understand trauma's role in health and can offer resources to assist with healing. A commentary published today in the journal Women's Health Issues proposes an approach to providing such trauma-informed primary care (TIPC). Edward L. Machtinger, MD, director of the Women's HIV Program (WHP) at the University of California, San Francisco, and his co-authors identify four core components of a TIPC approach: environment, screening, response, and a robust ...

Thermometer-like device could help diagnose heart attacks

2015-05-06
Diagnosing a heart attack can require multiple tests using expensive equipment. But not everyone has access to such techniques, especially in remote or low-income areas. Now scientists have developed a simple, thermometer-like device that could help doctors diagnose heart attacks with minimal materials and cost. The report on their approach appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry. Sangmin Jeon and colleagues note that one way to tell whether someone has had a heart attack involves measuring the level of a protein called troponin in the person's blood. The protein's ...

The next step in DNA computing: GPS mapping?

2015-05-06
Conventional silicon-based computing, which has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent decades, is pushing against its practical limits. DNA computing could help take the digital era to the next level. Scientists are now reporting progress toward that goal with the development of a novel DNA-based GPS. They describe their advance in ACS' The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. Jian-Jun Shu and colleagues note that Moore's law, which marked its 50th anniversary in April, posited that the number of transistors on a computer chip would double every year. This doubling has ...

Study discovers negative regulator of natural killer cell maturation

2015-05-06
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new study has identified a regulatory pathway in natural killer cells that inhibits their maturation and homing behavior. Natural killer cells are one of the body's first lines of defense against viruses and cancer. The findings could lead to new strategies for boosting natural-killer cell activity against cancer and viral infections. The study was led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James). It showed that a protein called Foxo1 ...

Study finds foreclosures fueled racial segregation in US

2015-05-06
WASHINGTON, DC, May 6, 2015 -- Some 9 million American families lost their homes to foreclosure during the late 2000s housing bust, driving many to economic ruin and in search of new residences. Hardest hit were black, Latino, and racially integrated neighborhoods, according to a new Cornell University analysis of the crisis. Led by demographer Matthew Hall, researchers estimate racial segregation grew between Latinos and whites by nearly 50 percent and between blacks and whites by about 20 percent as whites abandoned and minorities moved into areas most heavily distressed ...

Supreme Court to decide fate of EPA mercury rule with billions at stake

2015-05-06
The justices of the nation's highest court are weighing whether the Environmental Protection Agency should have considered potential compliance costs before proceeding with a rule that requires power plants to reduce their mercury emissions. In March, lawyers from the government and industry presented their sides to the Supreme Court, which could decide the matter in June, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society. Glenn Hess, a senior correspondent at C&EN, notes that the EPA developed the ...

A 'super-cool' way to deliver drugs

2015-05-06
Water, when cooled below 32°F, eventually freezes -- it's science known even to pre-schoolers. But some substances, when they undergo a process called "rapid-freezing" or "supercooling," remain in liquid form -- even at below-freezing temperatures. The supercooling phenomenon has been studied for its possible applications in a wide spectrum of fields. A new Tel Aviv University study published in Scientific Reports is the first to break down the rules governing the complex process of crystallization through rapid-cooling. According to the research, membranes can be ...

Insight into the Ebola virus nucleocapsid assembly mechanism

2015-05-06
The Ebola virus (EBOV) causes lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans, with extremely high morbidity and mortality. It was first discovered in two simultaneous outbreaks near the Ebola River in sub-Saharan Africa in 1976. Sporadic outbreaks followed until 2014, when it re-emerged in Western Africa and caused a widespread epidemic. As of 24 April 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a total number of 26,101 suspected cases and 10,824 deaths. Despite the high death rate of the Ebola hemorrhagic disease, there are no FDA-approved treatments or vaccines available ...

New form of DNA modification may carry inheritable information

New form of DNA modification may carry inheritable information
2015-05-06
Scientists at the University of Chicago, Harvard, and China have described the surprising discovery and function of a new DNA modification in insects, worms, and algae. Common DNA modifications occur through methylation, a chemical process that can dramatically change gene expression, which regulates the eventual production of proteins that carry out the functions of an organism. It's all part of a growing new subfield of epigenetics being pioneered by the University of Chicago's Chuan He and his collaborators. Through epigenetics, organisms sometimes bypass the genetic ...

We all want high social status

2015-05-06
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY'S HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS--Not everyone may care about having an impressive job title or a big, fancy house but all human beings desire a high level of social status, according to a newly published study. For decades, researchers have argued both sides of the question: is it human nature to want high standing in one's social circle, profession, or society in general? Prof. Cameron Anderson sought to settle the debate. In "Is the desire for status a fundamental human motive? A review of the empirical literature" (Psychological Bulletin, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] A step toward avoiding the dreaded chocolate 'bloom'