CHECKUP : NEWS, TIPS AND TRENDS POPPING-GOOD SMELL IS OLD EGGS.Remember this the next time you rip open a freshly nuked bag of microwave popcorn: You're really getting a whiff of rotten eggs. New research into the most potent chemicals that give microwave popcorn its flavor has found that hydrogen sulfide hydrogen sulfide, chemical compound, H2S, a colorless, extremely poisonous gas that has a very disagreeable odor, much like that of rotten eggs. It is slightly soluble in water and is soluble in carbon disulfide. is one of the main odorous gases produced during popping. In another incarnation, hydrogen sulfide is responsible for eau de rotten eggs. The difference is the company it keeps. More than 90 compounds are thought to give popcorn its taste. Popcorn research published last week by Dr. Ron Buttery (no kidding) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated the most important compounds that give the beloved snack its flavor. Along with identifying several new components, the scientists found that hydrogen sulfide proved to be among the most important. But popcorn's 90 flavor chemicals are a simple recipe compared with the more than 500 that make chocolate taste like chocolate. Two German food chemists (and the Germans do have an appreciation of this particular confection con·fec·tion n. A sweetened medicinal compound. Also called electuary. ) set out to determine which compounds are most important in both milk chocolate and cocoa beans. The formula for milk chocolate turns out to be a delectable blend of chemicals that - among other things - smell like mushrooms, soap, dirt, potato chips, cucumbers, cooked meat and mothballs. And if that doesn't make you rush to the candy machine, cocoa also had an added ingredient that smells just like sweat. Both studies appeared last week in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Bon appetit. Those shoes were made for walking: You can ``Walk for Someone You Love'' - the theme of this year's March of Dimes
The walk, projected to draw more than 20,000 people at 20 different sites in the Southland, expects to raise more than $66 million nationwide when the pledges for an estimated 825,000 walkers are collected. Individuals and teams of walkers are sponsored by friends, family, companies and schools; money raised goes to pay for March of Dimes research, community services, education and advocacy programs. Walk routes vary in length, but most are eight to 10 miles long. Registration begins at 7 a.m., with walks beginning at 8. Here's a listing of local walks and starting locations: Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley - Lancaster City Park, 10th Street West, between Avenue K and L; eight miles long. Los Angeles - Entrance to the Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo founded in 1966, is a large zoo located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Zoo, located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, is home to 1,200 animals from around the world. in Griffith Park, on Zoo Drive; 7.5 miles long. Marina del Rey - Marina Basin D, Admiralty Way and Palowan Street; 7.5 miles long. San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. - Woodley Avenue, Park No. 2 on Woodley between Burbank Avenue and Victory Boulevard; 7.5 miles long. Simi Valley - Rancho Tapo Community Park, Avenida Simi and Lemon Drive; 7.5 miles long. |
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