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Sylvia Rose
Feb 194 min read
Vibrio Cholerae: the Cholera Bacteria
Vibrio cholerae is the bacterium responsible for cholera, one of history's most destructive diseases. Cholera is an infection of the...
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Sylvia Rose
Feb 174 min read
Black Tea (Camellia sinensis): Harvest to Cup
Black tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. As it undergoes full oxidation, it takes on a dark hue and a strong...
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Sylvia Rose
Feb 165 min read
Sucrose: Double Sugar of Science & Cuisine
Sucrose, commonly known as table sugar, is a disaccharide or double sugar of glucose and fructose. Most sucrose eaten by humans comes...
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Sylvia Rose
Feb 143 min read
Cyanobacteria: Nutrients & Bacterial Blooms
Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, are historically entwined with the evolution of Earth. They convert sunlight, water, and...
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Sylvia Rose
Feb 125 min read
Wort: Sweet Temptation for Beer-Making Yeast
Wort is the sweet liquid forming the basis of yeast fermentation in brewing. Made from malt grains, the sugary wort gives yeast a...
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Sylvia Rose
Feb 65 min read
Maillard Reaction: Science & Flavor in Browning Food
The Maillard reaction is a process in browning and flavor enhancement for food such as chicken, steak, bread and roast marshmallows. As...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 316 min read
Fermenting Green Beans: Salt, Brine & Bacteria
Fermentation is an easy, ancient process of preservation. Salt is dissolved in natural juice and/or water to make brine. Fermenting...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 284 min read
Syphilis: History & Symptoms of a Ravaging Disease
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) of obscure origins, a spotty history and massive impact. In the Renaissance its...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 225 min read
Cheese Making: Rennet & Natural Alternatives
Rennet is a complex set of enzymes central to many cheeses. It coagulates milk to form curds. Â The primary enzyme in rennet is chymosin...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 155 min read
Lactase: Nutrition & the Milk Sugar Enzyme
Lactase is an enzyme important to breaking down lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy products, into digestible elements. Lactase is...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 155 min read
Lactose Loving Yeast: Microbial Rule Breakers
Yeasts are lactose intolerant; but for every rule there are exceptions. These three species are able to use lactose, or milk sugar, as a...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 55 min read
Cherish the Chocolate: Sweet Fermentation
Chocolate is one of the world's most beloved indulgences. The journey from cacao bean to chocolate bar is a series of artful processes,...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 36 min read
Isolate Yeast & LAB Strains for Artisan Flavors
Yeast strains and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in artisan baking and beverage production can affect the flavor profile of the product, like...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 29, 20244 min read
Lactic Acid Bacteria: Team Players of Fermentation
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are industrious microbes working to transform ingredients such as milk into cheese and cabbage into sauerkraut...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 25, 20244 min read
Mysteries of Bona Dea: Women's Rites in Ancient Rome
Bona Dea, the "Good Goddess," has a special place among ancient Roman deities. Her mysteries are only for women. Goddess of fertility,...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 22, 20244 min read
Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes: Life Forms on Earth
Prokaryotes and eukaryotes are the two major types of cellular creatures on Earth. Prokaryotes are among the first life 3.4 billion years...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 21, 20245 min read
Microbial Reproduction: Mitosis & Meiosis
Cell division is a core process of life in the microworld. Mitosis and meiosis are two types of reproduction in microbes such as algae,...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 19, 20247 min read
Yeast: Microbiology of Bread & Food Making
Yeast is a unicellular fungus essential in daily life. This gift of nature is used in baking leavened bread and in food fermentation. Its...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 19, 20245 min read
How Yeast Transforms Sugars to Booze
Yeast is a single-celled fungus essential for fermentation. It transforms simple sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, a process...
29 views


Sylvia Rose
Dec 18, 20244 min read
First Life on Earth: Microbes & Stromatolites
Ancient microbes in harsh conditions are the earliest life forms. Fossil records appear in rock formations up to 3.7 billion years old....
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