Compound Interest: biology

How do plant milks compare to cow’s milk?

January 11, 2022 0Comments 5Likes 309Views

Three-column Infographic on how plant milks compare to dairy milk. The first column highlights how plant milks are made: plant materials are either soaked and milled or dry milled, filtered to remove fibrous components, then formulated with water and other additions. They are then homogenised, heat treated, and packaged. The second column highlights the environmental impact of cow's milk, which has higher carbon emissions, land use and water use per litre produced compared to all plant-based milks. The final column highlights nutritional differences. Plant milks are fortified with calcium, and some are fortified with iodine, both found naturally in cow's milk. Protein content for plant milks is lower than for cow's milk. — Click to enlarge

For plant milk manufacturers, business is booming. In 2021, 32% of British people surveyed drank plant-based milk as part of their diet, compared to 25% in 2020. How are these milks made, and how do they compare to cow’s milk when it comes to their environmental impact and nutritional value? This graphic takes a look.

A brief history of anaesthetics and how they work – in C&EN

November 9, 2021 0Comments 2Likes 296Views

Click to view the full graphic on the C&EN site

Surgery has become a lot more comfortable since the first demonstrations of ether anaesthesia in the 1840s. In October’s edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we looked at the different types of anaesthesia, the compounds involved, and what we know about how they work. Click through to the C&EN site to view the full graphic.

What is folic acid, and why is it important during pregnancy?

September 21, 2021 0Comments 2Likes 282Views

Infographic titled 'Why is folic acid important during pregnancy?'. Folic acid is a human-made form of folate, vitamin B9. We have to get it from our diet. It's converted into folate in the body. Folate is found naturally in a number of foods, particularly leafy vegetables, seeds, and nuts. It can also be added to some foods including flour, a process known as fortification. Low levels of folate have been linked to neural tube defects (NTDs). These happen when the neural tube, which forms the brain and spinal cord, doesn't develop or close properly, leading to conditions like spina bifida. Taking folic acid before and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of NTDs by about 70%. The mechanism by which folate reduces NTDs isn't known, but folate is important for building nucleic acids, the building blocks of DNA. Large quantities of nucleic acids are required by the developing neural tube for DNA replication, and folic acid deficiency may impact this. — Click to enlarge

This week, the UK has confirmed it plans to fortify non-wholemeal flour with folic acid. It’s not the first country to do so: the United States has been fortifying flour with folic acid since 1998. Most countries in South America and a number in Asia also have mandatory fortification programs. This graphic looks at the reasons for fortification with folic acid – and making it also got me wondering why the practice isn’t more widespread in Europe.

Infographic on the chemistry of dahlia flower colours. The colours of dahlias are a result of anthocyanin-, chalcone- and aurone-derived pigments. Colourless sflavones also interact with and stabilisse anthocyanin pigments. Chalcones and aurones lead to yellow and orange dahlias, while anthocyanins play a part in orange, pink, red and black dahlias. Blue dahlias aren't seen because dahlias lack an enzyme for making delphinidin, the anthocyanin which leads to blue flowers.

Dahlia colour chemistry: Why don’t we see blue dahlias?

September 12, 2021 0Comments 2Likes 267Views

Dahlias: the jewels of the late summer garden. Shades of red, yellow, orange, pink, with their petals forming intricate geometric structures. But, like roses and many other flowers, the dahlia spectrum is missing one colour: blue. So why are blue blooms so rare in nature?

The chemistry of plant flowering – in C&EN

March 18, 2021 0Comments 2Likes 227Views

What causes plants to flower in the springtime, and what is responsible for the range of colours and aromas their bloom produce? In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we look at the chemicals in play. Visit the C&EN site to view the full graphic.

#ChemVsCOVID: How did past research help COVID-19 vaccine efforts?

March 16, 2021 0Comments 0Likes 208Views

On this day in 2020, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine entered phase 1 trials, making it the first COVID vaccine to do so. This came less than a week after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. How was it possible for this to happen so quickly? The third part of the #ChemVsCOVID series, produced with the Royal Society of Chemistry, gives a brief overview of the prior work and what the phase 1 trials looked at.