coffee physics

March 4, 2008 at 10:38 am | | EDSELs, great finds, literature

OK, is this a joke? Or is the author simply a bullshit artist?

coffee-flavour.jpg

Source: (Buffo, R. A.; Cardelli-Freire, C. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 2004,19, 99-104.)

I can forgive the εR-equals-zero-instead-of-unity mistake, but what does that have to do with CO2 release? And the glass-transition temperature? Seriously? Of a coffee bean?

edsel.jpgMy favorite part is that neither of those two ridiculous statements is cited.

OK, this wins an EDSEL for “Most creatively incorrect physical analysis of food chemistries.”

8 Comments »

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  1. Grantology. The eventual funded conclusion will be that coffee beans should be treated with the correct amount of supercritical CO2 with careful temperature profiling to (chronically unsuccessfully) create premium beans from dross. Years of tasting panels will be necessary after years of defining a multi-dimensional parametric model. Remember… It is not wrong, it is heteroskedasticity (the golden-armored savior of economics, psychology, climatology, and other grandiloquent lies).

    Uncle Al would go with C-13 labeling. Sophisticated mass spec data always lends credibility. A PhD gal in U/Manitoba MSes whole freshly dissected roach brains to model what they are thinking from neurotransmitter and othe molecular ratios. Uncle Al offers a bottom line suggestion: “WHAAAAAA!!!!!”

    Comment by Uncle Al — March 5, 2008 #

  2. Alton Brown talks a little bit about CO2 emissions from roasted coffee in this episode of “Good Eats” : http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season2/Coffee/CoffeeTranscript.htm

    Alton doesn’t mention it being important to freshness or taste, however, so I’m not sure how important it is to fire up the ol’ transmogrifier to study its release from the “glassy bean matrix.”

    Comment by sarah — March 5, 2008 #

  3. Wait, there’s an award for the ‘Most creatively incorrect physical analysis of food chemistries’??

    Well, about time.

    Comment by fiona — March 5, 2008 #

  4. hey fiona. EDSEL stands for “EveryDayScientist’s Extraordinary Laud” award.

    Comment by sam — March 5, 2008 #

  5. It was cited twice in a separations journal.

    *snicker*

    Comment by Shawn Wilkinson — March 6, 2008 #

  6. ok, guy you got an award for scientific small-mindedness!! why shouldn’t a food product exhibit glass transition? because it is too complicated for you physicians???

    Comment by coffeeresearcher — May 8, 2008 #

  7. i know that food products exhibit a Tg: liquids and emulsions and gels. sure. but a coffee bean?? do you have a reference?

    Comment by sam — May 8, 2008 #

  8. […] Whoa. I don’t taste any tight blossoms or structure. My labmate suggested that maybe they used Penta Water for the structure. I think that the structure comes from the coffee matrix being below its glass transition temperature. […]

    Pingback by Everyday Scientist » structured mouthfeel — January 13, 2009 #

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