Subjects: Nutrition

It really does grow on trees, but you probably wouldn’t want to eat it right off the branch. The chocolate we know and love is the result of a chemical processing method so intricate that many people are surprised it was ever discovered. This episode reveals the secrets of chocolate production and some possible health benefits of this sweet treat.

That egg in your fridge is a miracle of technology, biology and genealogy. It starts with a line of purebred chickens and goes through four generations of hens before the perfect egg is produced. Then it has to be graded and transported… and sometimes broken. This episode looks at the science behind egg production, analysis and even preparation.

For years people have thought of ketchup as a condiment packed with flavour, but light on nutrition. Oh, how wrong we were! Recent research has shown that heated tomato products are loaded with a form of molecule called lycopene that the body can easily absorb and which may fight cancer, heart disease and possibly even osteoporosis. This episode tells you all about lycopene, the history of tomatoes and how ketchup is made.

Originally, soft drinks were sold as medicine and contained ingredients like cocaine. Now, soft drinks are tamer in content and better understood as merely a refreshing beverage. We’ll see how they’re made and find out exactly what they do when they get into your system.

It’s the most popular artificial flavour in the world. You can find it in all kinds of products. Despite a raging debate over whether natural vanilla is indeed superior to artificial vanilla, the molecules are actually exactly the same. So what’s the big deal? You’ll have to watch this episode to find out! Discover the unique method required to produce natural vanilla and how artificial flavours are created.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.