Science in the Kitchen
Which contains more Caffeine--Tea or Coffee?
Do tea or coffee have different effects or does the caffeine level depend on the type of tea or coffee?Tea does indeed contain more caffeine than coffee,but only by dry weight,not by its final concentration in the cup of tea that you drink.
Because much more coffee powder than tea leaves are used to brew the respective drink,coffee typically ends up having a considerably higher caffeine concentration.he caffeine content of different varieties of coffee and tea plant can vary widely.
The effect of equivalent amounts of caffeine is the same regardless of its source.As drunk in India,a cup of strong tea contains about the same amount of caffeine as a weak cup of instant coffee.Tea also contain small amount of theobromine and theophylline,which act like caffeine.
But they have relatively weak stimulant effects.If you are regular caffeine consumer(three or more cups of tea or coffee a day),you will feel a noticeable benefit with the first cup of tea or coffee in the morning,mainly caused by removing the fatiguing effects of overnight caffeine withdrawl.
In contrast,tea or coffee, consumed before bed time,has a lesser impact,because having consumed several cups during the day,the bed time cup of tea or coffee will tend only to maintain the body's level of caffeine.However,if the interval were long,it may keep you awake.
ONIONS THAT DONOT MAKE YOU WEEP
According to Dr Shinsuke Imai from chiba,Japan, and his colleagues,it may soon be possible to grow onions that taste as good as original,but do not make you shed tears while chopping them.They have identified the gene that is responsible for making the tear inducing chemical substance.It would not be difficult to make genetically modified(GM) onion varieties that lack the substance all together.
Now they have shown that the chemical is made by separate enzymes altogether.So a GM onion,lacking the enzymes,would not irritate your eyes,but taste very similar to the original.
WHY DO ONIONS MAKE YOUR EYES WATER?
The strong smell of fresh onions comes from the sulphur-rich chemicals contained in them.Cutting or peeling the onion releases this chemical,which readily evaporates and soon reaches the eyes.
This sulphurous and acidic chemical irritates the nerve endings in the conjuctiva,the transparent tissue that cover the eye and the underside of the eyelids.
An instinctive reaction of the irritated nerves is to send signals which stimulate the tear glands in each eye to produce extra tear liquid which is mostly water.
However ,before the new onions appear in the market,try one of the following tips:--
1.Wear swimming goggles
2.Slice the onion under water
3.Before slicing the onion,wash it and keep it wet
4.Wear contact lenses if you are using them
5.Breathe through your mouth.In order to ensure that you breathe through your mouth,hold a metal spoon lightly between your teeth.Holding the spoon upside down works best.
6.Hold a slice of lemon under lips while slicing
7.Hold a sugar cube between your teeth to absorb irritant
These will help you in keeping you away with those rolling tears without losing the tasty aroma
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