Ice cream is so much more than a delectable delight. It’s a complex matrix of crystals, bubbles and globules that wants to fall completely apart. Fortunately, the delicate structure of ice cream is held together by a combination of chemical reinforcements and top-of-the-line freezing technology. This allows the perfect mix to be delivered to your tongue where the chemicals explode in a fantastic release of flavour and texture. The technology of ice cream production is explored, both small batch and large scale.
Producers: Exploration Production Inc.
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Pizza
That slice of pizza you enjoy on Friday night is a tasty meal all right, but it’s also a cultural hodgepodge of different regional flavours and preferences. In fact, depending on what type of pizza you order, you could be devouring a healthy chemical blend of cleansing ingredients or a health-reducing fat bomb that sets your balanced diet back for days. This episode explores the combination of ingredients on your pizza, the evolution of this delicious food, and the technology involved in creating one of its most common ingredients – cheese.
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Tea
Take the most popular drink in the world – water – heat it up and add some dry leaves. Voila, you have the second most popular drink in the world – tea. The chemical process of drying, packaging and brewing tea pleases people from cultures all around the world. It also improves their health in a way no other liquid does. We look at the production of tea and the effect it has on our bodies.
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Bread
It’s the most common food in the world, subject to thousands of years of culinary evolution. It’s changed everything from diet to the way civilization has developed. It also may contain ingredients that hype up your kids. We’ll get the dish on dough and unlock the mystery of the Montreal bagel.
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Hamburgers
They are a staple of the Western diet. They are also a great source of protein, a potential breeding ground of E. coli and a receptor of dangerous carcinogens. This episode looks at hamburger production, from cattle breeding and butchering methods, to cooking that succulent hunk of beef on the barbecue. Find out what happens as the meat is treated and heated.
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MegaWorld: Norway
There’s more to Norway than fresh seafood and majestic fjords. A leader in shipbuilding, we’ll go behind the scenes to witness how the Norwegian company is changing the way ocean vessels are made. Ulstein X-Bow has developed a revolutionary new hull that’s designed to provide a smoother ride for cargo and a safer journey for the crew. Ski flying takes ski jumping to a whole new level, and construction crews are hard at work building the world’s highest, and most dangerous ski flying jump. The world championships are coming to Norway so the race is on to complete construction in time. Other stories include a test lab that destroys products to make them better, and an ammunitions plant that is one of the largest in the world.
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MegaWorld: Poland
Poland’s long, tumultuous history makes it a fascinating country to visit. Follow a team of detectives in the Sowie Mountains as they try to crack the mystery of a huge underground maze of tunnels built by the Nazis. See bomb disposal experts find and detonate WWII explosives that are still littered throughout the country. Other stories include Poland’s rush to complete six new stadiums in time for the Euro 2012 soccer tournament, a company that makes the world’s largest luxury catamarans, a trip to Poland’s own Hollywood stunt school, and an amazing journey down into a 900 year-old salt mine – home to the largest underground cathedral in the world.
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MegaWorld: South Korea
South Korea is currently ranked as the most innovative country in the world. Our mega journey begins at one of the most technologically advanced LED monitor factories on the planet. We then take to the seas to see how the world’s largest shipbuilder has developed an amazing new method for constructing ships. Discover one of the busiest subway systems in the world, and the high-tech command centre that’s designed to keep everything on the rails. We’ll also visit the largest auto assembly plant in the world.
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MegaWorld: Dubai
The United Arab Emirates is a place of contradictions where traditional Bedouins live next to glittering cities with the tallest and most expensive buildings in the world. Dubai is the world’s fastest growing city. Anything is possible here from camel-riding robots to downhill skiing indoors on real snow. Futuristic skyscrapers rise at breakneck speed on land that was desert only a few years ago. “MegaWorld: Dubai” will take you inside the newest and most innovative projects in this architectural and engineering wonderland.
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MegaWorld: Hawaii
Megaworld Hawaii exposes the amazing technology and science of one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations. We catch up with Japanese extreme-sailor, Kenichi Horie, as he attempts a Guinness world record trip from Hawaii to Japan aboard the world’s most advanced wave-powered boat. Then we burn our feet mapping flowing lava from the world’s most active volcano, in the accompaniment of Jim K, Hawaii’s foremost expert on volcanoes. We watch the world’s most powerful underwater vacuum, Hawaii’s “Super Sucker”, as it sucks alien algae off the ocean floor, and then travel even deeper underwater in a high-tech manned submersible. And that’s just a start – from sand to surf, we’ll expose Hawaii like you’ve never seen it before.