May 2010, ACCN, the Canadian Chemical News by Chemical Institute of Canada

l’actualité chimique canadienne canadian chemical news ACCN

may|mai • 2010 • Vol. 62, No./n o 5

The

Food and Wine Issue

AChemical PublicationInstitute of the Chemical Institute of Canada and its Constituent Societies / Une publication de l’institut de chimie du canada et ses sociétés constituantes of Canada

Contents

may|mai • 2010 • Vol. 62, No./n o 5

Features

Myths, Facts and Snobberies 10 Wine An excerpt from the new book by Daniel Pambianchi on the science of winemaking

17 23 Departments 5

From the editor De la rédactrice en chef

Guest Column Chroniqueur invité

13 Taste 18 InTheGood flavour industry is evolving to satisfy increasingly discerning palates. Pour obtenir la version française de cet article, écrivez-nous à magazine@accn.ca

By Hennie JJ van Vuuren

Chemical News Actualité chimique

Society News 27 Nouvelles des sociétés

Chemfusion

By Joe Schwarcz

Small Food Movement 22 The How nanotechnology is making food safer By Alison Palmer

From the editor De la rédactrice en chef

ACCN Executive Director/Directeur général Roland Andersson, MCIC Editor/Rédactrice en chef Jodi Di Menna Graphic Designer/Infographiste Krista Leroux Communications manager/ Directrice des communications Lucie Frigon Marketing Manager/ Directrice du marketing Bernadette Dacey Staff Writer/rédactrice Anne Campbell, MCIC

n this, our Food and Wine Issue, we take a reprieve to look at the chemistry of life’s finer things and to explore that beguiling junction where art meets science. In an excerpt from his new book, Daniel Pambianchi casts a scientific eye on the sometimes enigmatic world of winemaking. In our Q and A, we get a view inside the highly specialized flavour industry to find out how pleasing our palates makes good business sense. Writer Alison Palmer examines how nanotechnology in food — in contrast to public concerns — actually has the potential to improve the safety of what we eat. We are also taking this special issue as an opportunity to celebrate 65 years since the publication of Vol. 1, No. 1 of the Chemical Institute of Canada’s first newsletter, then known as the “Chemical Institute News.” In Society News, we have excerpted some of what made headlines in that first year of publishing. It’s a retrospective made all the more fascinating for having been first published in the momentous year of 1945. ACCN I hope you enjoy the read!

Awards and Local Sections Manager/ Directrice des prix et des sections locales Gale Thirlwall Editorial Board/Conseil de rédaction Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, chair/président Cathleen Crudden, MCIC Milena Sejnoha, MCIC Bernard West, MCIC Editorial Office/ Bureau de la rédaction 130, rue Slater Street, Suite/bureau 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 T. 613-232-6252 • F./Téléc. 613-232-5862 magazine@accn.ca • www.accn.ca Advertising/Publicité advertising@accn.ca Subscription Rates/Tarifs d’abonnement Non CIC members/Non-membres de l’ICC : in/au Canada CAN$60; outside/à l’extérieur du Canada US$60. Single copy/Un exemplaire CAN$10 or US$10. ACCN (L’Actualité chimique canadienne/Canadian Chemical News) is published 10 times a year by the Chemical Institute of Canada / est publié 10 fois par année par l’Institut de chimie du Canada. www.cheminst.ca. Recommended by the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC), the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC), the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE), and the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology (CSCT). Views expressed do not necessarily represent the official position of the Institute or of the societies that recommend the magazine.

Jodi Di Menna Editor

Write to the editor at magazine@accn.ca

Recommandé par l’Institut de chimie du Canada, la Société canadienne de chimie, la Société canadienne de génie chimique et la Société canadienne de technologie chimique. Les opinions exprimées ne reflètent pas nécessairement la position officielle de l’Institut ou des sociétés qui soutiennent le magazine. Change of Address/ Changement d’adresse circulation@cheminst.ca Printed in Canada by Delta Printing and postage paid in Ottawa, Ont./ Imprimé au Canada par Delta Printing et port payé à Ottawa, Ont. Publications Mail Agreement Number/ No de convention de la Poste-publications : 40021620. (USPS# 0007-718) Indexed in the Canadian Business Index and available online in the Canadian Business and Current Affairs database. / Répertorié dans le Canadian Business Index et accessible en ligne dans la banque de données Canadian Business and Current Affairs. ISSN 0823-5228

www.accn.ca

Guest Column Chroniqueur invité

A Fine Vintage for Biotech

inemaking is seen by many winemakers as an art rather than a science. While I believe that blending different wines to produce a truly “great wine” is indeed an art, growing grapes and fermenting grape must is undoubtedly a scientific process. Over the past 15 years I have employed cutting-edge technologies to improve wine yeasts that will prevent the formation of allergens and ethyl carbamate (EC), a carcinogen found in wines. These novel yeast strains were the first two functionally improved wine yeasts to receive Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Health Canada and Environment Canada. Grape must is fermented to ethanol and flavour compounds by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Chardonnay wines and red wines usually undergo a secondary fermentation called “malolactic fermentation.” Winemakers inoculate wines with the bacterium Oenococcus oeni, however, wineries often have sluggish or stuck malolactic fermentations that lead to the production of more than 20 bioamines. These can cause migraines, hypotension, diarrhea, and so on in sensitive consumers; around 33 per cent of the world’s population is sensitive to bioamines in wine. The malolactic wine yeast, ML01, constructed in my laboratory, conducts the alcoholic fermentation and degrades malic acid to lactic acid during the alcoholic fermentation. This yeast prevents the formation of bioamines in wines. S. cerevisiae ML01 is the first genetically enhanced wine yeast to be commercialized by the wine industry in the U.S. and Canada. In 1985 the Liquor Control Board of Ontario discovered that many wines contained excessive amounts of EC, which is considered potentially dangerous to humans since it exhibits carcinogenic activity in a variety of laboratory animals. Extensive studies revealed that EC increases the rates of cancer of the liver, lung, harderian gland, and of hemangiosarcomas in both female and male mice. EC also increased the rates of cancer of the mammary gland and ovaries in female mice and the rates of skin cancer and cancer of the forestomach in male

Hennie JJ van Vuuren mice. EC is now classified as a Group 2A probable carcinogen in humans; the LCBO set a legal limit of 30 µg/L for EC in wine sold in Canada. During 2005 I bought 55 wines ranging in price from $9 to $55 per bottle off the shelf in a liquor store in British Columbia. After accelerated aging simulation of these wines the EC levels ranged from nine to 215 µg/L. Only nine out of 55 wines had EC concentrations below 30 µg/L. This is another problem that can be addressed using genetically enhanced yeasts. The metabolism of arginine — one of the major amino acids found in grape must — by wine yeast leads to production of ornithine and urea. Ethanol and urea released by yeast cells during alcoholic fermentation are the major precursors for EC in wine. S. cerevisiae degrades urea in a two-step reaction yielding ammonia; the DUR1,2 gene encodes the enzyme urea amidolyase which catalyzes this reaction. We have now expressed the DUR1,2 gene under control of a constitutive yeast promoter in ten different wine yeast strains. The functionally improved yeast strains minimize the production of EC in wine by up to 92 per cent. These yeast strains are genetically stable and substantially equivalent to the original industrial wine yeast strains. The low EC producing yeast strains were tested independently by the wine industry in the U.S. and Chile and laboratory data were confirmed. Functional Technologies Corp. in Vancouver has licensed the technology from The University of British Columbia and a yeast plant is currently being built in P.E.I. The yeast strains will be available for commercial winemaking around the world during 2010. In this age of biotech, science has the ability to smooth out the rough edges of the ancient art of winemaking and wineries can now produce wines that are fully safe for the consumer. ACCN

Hennie JJ van Vuuren is a pioneer in the field of metabolic enhancement of wine yeasts. He is founding director and professor at The University of British Columbia’s Wine Research Centre.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Write to us at magazine@accn.ca

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 7

Chemical News Actualité chimique

Biological Complexity Decoded Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a fundamentally new view of how living cells use a limited number of genes to generate enormously complex organs such as the brain. [A recent paper] describes how a hidden code within DNA explains how a limited number of human genes can produce a vastly greater number of genetic messages. The discovery bridges a decade-old gap between our understanding of the genome and the activity of complex processes within cells. When the human genome was fully sequenced in 2004, approximately 20,000 genes were found. However, it was discovered that living cells use those genes to generate a much richer and more dynamic source of instructions, consisting of hundreds of thousands of genetic messages that direct most cellular activities. To figure out how living cells generate vast diversity in their genetic information [the researchers] developed a new computer-assisted biological analysis method that finds ‘codewords’ hidden within the genome that constitute what is referred to as a



‘splicing code.’ This code contains the biological rules that are used to govern how separate parts of a genetic message copied from a gene can be spliced together in different ways to produce different genetic messages (messenger RNAs). University of Toronto

Nature’s Chemo

benefit when using vitamin D strategies,” [says Kelly Meckling who led the research.] “The tumours that have the MARRS knockdown actually grow faster than tumours that have normal MARRS. But then when you come in with vitamin D therapy as an anti-tumour agent, those tumour cells die really, really quickly.” University of Guelph

The anti-cancer action of vitamin D is one step closer to being understood. By lowering the activity of a protein called MARRS, a receptor or “gatekeeper” for vitamin D signalling, [research from the University of Guelph] has shown that breast cancer cells become hypersensitive to the nutrient and are easier to kill. Vitamin D, a nutrient essential for bone health, protects against certain types of cancer and even multiple sclerosis when taken for a long period. Now [this] research on breast cancer cells holds promise to use vitamin D as a form of natural chemotherapy, too. Altering cell MARRS levels changes how the tumour cell divides and makes that cell easier to target. “It looks like in breast cancer cells, downregulation of MARRS has a positive therapeutic

Muscle Mimicry Researchers at The University of British Columbia have cast artificial proteins into a new solid biomaterial that very closely mimics the elasticity of muscle. The approach opens new avenues to creating solid biomaterials from smaller engineered proteins, and has potential applications in material sciences and tissue engineering. [The researchers] engineered the artificial proteins to mimic the molecular structure of titin, a giant protein that plays a vital role in the passive elasticity of muscle. The engineered version—which resembles a chain of beads—is roughly 100 times smaller than titin. The University of British Columbia

Chemical Institute of Canada

The Canadian Green Chemistry and Engineering Network (CGCEN) Introduces Three New Awards: • Canadian Green Chemistry and Engineering Network Award (Individual) Sponsored by GreenCentre Canada

• Ontario Green Chemistry and Engineering Network Award (Individual)

Sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment

• Ontario Green Chemistry and Engineering Network Award (Organizational) Sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment

The awards will be presented at the 3rd International IUPAC Conference on Green Chemistry, August 15–18, 2010 and will showcase top performers in green chemistry and engineering. Nominations for these awards are being accepted now. Deadline:

May 31, 2010

Visit www.cheminst.ca/greenchemistryawards for more details or contact awards@cheminst.ca. The Canadian Green Chemistry and Engineering Network is a forum of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC). CIC

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Mai 2010

 Continuing

International Wire In Russia, a group of researchers have created the latest laboratory-made superheavy element, filling the gap in the periodic table for element 117. The Russian and American scientists fired calcium atoms into a target of berkelium atoms and produced just six atoms of the new element after two 70-day long collision runs. The new element is being called ununseptium until a permanent name is established. In Zurich, Switzerland researchers at IBM sculpted a 1:180 billion scale model of the Matterhorn, the infamous 4478 metre peak that straddles the Swiss-Italian border in order to demonstrate a nanosculpting method that they developed for making high-density computer storage. The aim was to show that their technique could be used for other applications such as to shape tiny lenses on silicon chips to carry optical rather than electronic circuits. In Germany, researchers are analyzing the chemistry of the ash cloud propelled into the atmosphere from Iceland’s Eyjafjalljokull volcano. To do so, Germany’s Aerospace Center sent a twin-engine jet through the plume to measure the aerosols and gases present. Researchers will compare the mass concentration of ash particles in the atmosphere with the computer simulations made by London’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, which were the basis for closing airspace over northern Europe after the eruption. Some airlines have questioned the accuracy of those simulations. In China, researchers are developing a method to extract chemicals from discarded cigarette butts to use as an anti-corrosion treatment for steel and other metal-based materials. Some 4.5 trillion butts become litter each year. The process uses compounds found in the castoffs including nicotine, anthraquinone and b carotene derivatives, helping to solve both the pollution problem and the costly corrosion of metals.

Education for Chemical Professionals

Laboratory Safety course

2010 Schedule

May 31– June 1, 2010

Toronto, ON

October 4 –5, 2010

Calgary, AB

Registration fees $550 CIC members $750 non-members $150 student members

he Chemical Institute of Canada and the Canadian Society

for Chemical Technology are

presenting a two-day course designed to enhance the knowledge and working

Industrial Briefs

experience of chemical technologists and

Eli Lilly and Company is closing its Lilly Analytical Research Laboratory located at their Toronto office effective June 30, 2010. The reason given for the closure is “changing business demands of the bioproduct portfolio and an ever-changing environment that requires the global Product Research and Development Division to consolidate operations, reduce costs and increase flexibility.” The pharmaceutical company sited looming patent expirations as one reason to reduce costs.

Guidelines, 4th edition. This course is

Natunola Health Biosciences Inc. has developed a low glycemic index maple syrup for the diabetic, nutraceutical and health market. They expect the new natural sweetener, called ismaltulose, to provide an edge for the Canadian processed food industry and maple syrup farmers in the global marketplace, particularly in the face of rising health concerns such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Located in Winchester, Ont., Nantunola is a manufacturer and researcher in the field of flax seed derived omega-3 fatty acids, flax protein, flax lignans, specialty natural products, bionutrients and functional supplements for human and animal care markets. Functional Technologies Corp. of Vancouver has filed patent applications for yeast technology that reduces the formation of acrylamide, a chemical that naturally forms in foods during processing or cooking at high temperatures such as bread, fries, cookies, crackers and other baked or fried items that are rich in carbohydrates and poor in protein. It is known to cause cancer in animals. The company, which works on yeast research and development says that early lab testing is positive and that it will partner with other companies in the yeast and food processing industries to develop and commercialize the product. ACCN

chemists. All course participants receive the CIC’s Laboratory Health and Safety intended for those whose responsibilities include improving the operational safety of chemical laboratories, managing laboratories, chemical plants or research facilities, conducting safety audits of laboratories and chemical plants. During the course, participants are provided with an integrated overview of current best practices in laboratory safety.

For more information about the course and locations, and to access the registration form, visit:

www.cheminst.ca/profdev

 May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 9

CHEMISTRY: WINE

Wine Myths, Facts and Snobberies Daniel Pambianchi Vintner, author and expert in wine chemistry, Daniel Pambianchi takes on “81 Questions & Answers on the Science and Enjoyment of Wine” in his new book, Wine Myths, Facts & Snobberies. To shed some scientific light on 6000 years of winemaking tradition, the author consulted with many experts, from winemakers to microbiologists and chemists to nutrition experts and neurosurgeons. Excerpted here are six of those queries that have been posed to Pambianchi during wine tours and tutored tastings, or that have simply arisen from his own curiosity.

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Wine Myths, Facts & Snobberies

Where do all those aromas and flavours that winetasters so eloquently speak of come from?

romas are very complex natural compounds created in the grape juice in berries during the growing season and particularly during the ripening phase. Some of these are said to be bound or non-volatile, and so we cannot initially smell them, but during winemaking, the compounds become free and volatile and can therefore be detected depending on concentration, volatility, and alcohol concentration. Higher alcohol reduces surface tension thereby allowing some volatile compounds to shine through to a greater extent. Could this explain the trend to higher alcohol levels in modern wines? Other aromatic (and flavour) compounds are also created during fermentation where specific yeast strains can impart a broad range of aromas and flavours. We have already seen the importance of yeast selection in winemaking and more specifically, yeast produces glycosidase enzymes that break up glycosides (molecules in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate functional group) into its sugar component and a flavour-bearing molecule. So not all aromas exist in grape juice. Here are some compounds and aromas commonly found in wine: diacetyl (butter), rotundone (black pepper), methoxypyrazines (bell pepper), 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (passion fruit, cat urine (ever heard of Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush Sauvignon Blanc?)), megastigmatrienone and zingerone (tobacco and spices), linalool (floral, citrus), cis-rose oxide (roses), ß-damescenone (apple, honey), and guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol (smoky). Guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol are specifically found in oak-aged wine where these compounds are the result of lignin thermal decomposition during the oak toasting process.

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 11

CHEMISTRY: WINE

What is ice wine and how is it made?

ce wine is an impeccably well-balanced, high-acidity, sweet dessert wine with aromas of peach, apricot, litchi and nutty flavours and is produced from grapes naturally frozen on the vines. Ice wine originated in 1794 in Franconia, Germany where it is called Eiswein. As with many discoveries, it was the result of an accident. (This discovery “fact” is not well documented. Since it was best documented later in an 1830 “re-discovery,” Dromersheim, Germany is said to be the rightful birthplace of Eiswein.) As with much of Europe plagued by cold weather, Germany suffered a cold growing season in 1794 and let their Riesling grapes hang on the vines a while longer in the hope that warmer temperatures would come to help grapes ripen. Instead, a nasty frost caused the grapes to freeze but a determined winemaker set out to harvest the grapes anyway. He was able to press the frozen grape berries and ferment the syrupy juice. How he managed the fermentation is not clear given our current knowledge of the challenges of making ice wine. Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser, who co-founded Inniskillin Wines in 1974 and pioneered ice wine in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, have aptly named this art as extreme winemaking. Their 1989 Vidal Icewine won the Grand Prix d’Honneur at the international Vinexpo event in Bordeaux in 1991. And so it is that Canada — more specifically Ontario — has become world-renowned for its ice wine where it is trademarked and officially called Icewine. Unlike Germany where the winter season is not as predictable, Ontario is able to produce Icewine year after year.

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Icewine production in Ontario is governed by the bylaws and standards of the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). For Icewine, VQA mandates that grapes be harvested at a minimum sugar concentration of 35 per cent by weight and at no more than –8°C, which means that harvesting really must occur at –10°C or colder to allow for slight temperature increases by the time the grapes are handled when they arrive at the winery. If these conditions are not met, the wine cannot be labeled as Icewine. To maintain the cold temperature of grapes, small wineries harvest by hand in the middle of the night. Large wineries equipped with machinery and equipment to process grapes rapidly may harvest during the day. The simple explanation of letting grapes freeze on the vines is that the cold temperature causes the water content in grape berries to freeze and therefore concentrate sugars, acids and flavour compounds. But it gets much more interesting once we take a closer look at the biochemistry of grape berry cells during the freezing process. As berries start freezing — which happens from the outside of the berries towards the center — there is an imbalance in osmotic pressure between water outside and inside berries. The greater external pressure causes water from inside berries to flow through cell walls and out the grape skins, causing partial dehydration, which in turn hastens freezing inside berries and further concentrates those delicious flavours, sugars and acids. Whole-cluster grapes are pressed outdoors immediately following harvesting

at subfreezing temperatures to extract the sugar-rich syrup from the marble-hard berries and to discard the frozen water content. The syrup is allowed to warm up before being inoculated for fermentation — a process that takes considerably longer than fermentation in dry wines, often up to three months or more depending on sugar content in the juice. The wine is then sterile filtered to remove any active yeast still present after fermentation has stopped, and is then aged a minimum of six months before it is bottled and commercialized. Fermentation will stop at around 11 per cent alcohol and yield a very sweet wine with superb acidity, intense flavours and sublime complexity. As a significant amount of tartaric acid would have precipitated as potassium bitartrate while grapes were freezing on the vines, total acidity (TA) in Icewine juice comprises a high percentage of malic acid, in the order of 65 to 75 per cent and varies with the pH of the juice. During fermentation, malic acid concentration decreases but total acidity increases due to acetic acid production resulting from yeast fermenting under stressful conditions and due to succinic acid production from yeast fermentation. Acetic acid, which will be relatively higher than in other types of wines, contributes to higher volatile acidity (VA) and is actually beneficial at low levels in Icewine by contributing to aroma and flavour development. Succinic acid enhances flavours by contributing a salty and bitter taste.

Can wine be manufactured in the lab?

ou could theoretically make wine in a lab but practically [it’s] an almost impossible task. Wine is a very complex beverage; it consists of thousands of simple and complex organic and inorganic compounds, many of which have not yet been identified, although Ted Rieger states in the May–June 2009 issue of Vineyard and Winery Management that “[r]esearchers believe that most of the chemical compounds in grapes and wines that contribute to aroma and flavour have now been identified.” Organic compounds include alcohols, acids, polyphenols, sugars, esters, amino acids and amines, vitamins, minerals and aromatic compounds which all contribute to the positive aromas and flavours found in wine, as well as other organic compounds such as aldehydes and thiols that impart offflavours or cause spoilage. These compounds are synthesized in the grapes during the growing and ripening cycle and can be created during fermentation from selected yeast strains as well as from winemaking operations such as barrel aging. Inorganic compounds such as potassium and calcium are derived from the soil and nutrients therein. These compounds all exist in varying concentrations from the measurable to trace amounts and in countless combinations and permutations, all a function of the plethora of grape varieties, differences in viticultural practices and factors. Some factors are soil and climate, and kinds of yeasts which make concocting wine in the lab an impossible task. But why try and reduce such a mystical beverage to some lab-concocted potion?

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 13

CHEMISTRY: WINE

What is double-salt precipitation and how is it relevant to winemaking?

ouble-salt precipitation is a technique for reducing acidity in high-acid wine. In winemaking, it is often desirable and at times required to reduce acidity in juice or wine for better balance. High acidity is a common problem in cool-climate grape-growing regions or where the growing season may have been marked by cool weather. And certain cultivars inherently have high acidity. Various vinification techniques, some of which make use of a deacidifying agent, are used for reducing acidity; for example, potassium bicarbonate is used for reducing tartaric acid by precipitating it in potassium bitartrate salt form. These techniques work very well on reducing tartaric acid, the major acid found in grape juice and wine. But often, the problem is low tartaric acid compared to high malic acid content because of a poor vintage where grapes did not fully ripen or as found in cool climate grapes. And malolactic fermentation to reduce the malic content may not be desirable because it is known to produce unsatisfactory organoleptic results — Riesling is one such wine. But some tartaric acid reduction may also be desired, for example, to prepare the wine for cold stabilization. The solution: double-salt precipitation — so called because it precipitates a double salt, as opposed to a simple salt like potassium tartrate. Specifically, it is a technique used for reducing tartaric and malic acids in approximately equal parts by precipitating them in their double-salt form using a special formulation consisting mainly of calcium carbonate (chalk) and a small percentage of calcium tartrate malate as a seeding aid. Here, too, there is some very interesting acid chemistry that explains why double-salt precipitation is preferred over simply using calcium carbonate. Wine has a pH usually in the range of 3.10–3.50 and therefore, tartaric acid which has a first dissociation value in this range will dissociate into its bitartrate and tartrate ions. When calcium carbonate is added, it neutralizes tartaric acid only and precipitates calcium tartrate salt. However, this can take months to happen and creates instability issues but more importantly, calcium malate precipitates also form and impart an unappealing earthy taste. Double-salt precipitation products, however, raise the pH of a calculated and measured part-volume of juice or wine pH to 4.5 which is within the range of the second dissociation values of tartaric and malic acid and easily precipitates the lowsolubility double salt calcium tartrate malate in as little as thirty minutes. The part-volume of wine is then filtered and added back to the rest of the untreated wine to reduce total acidity as calculated. No tartrate instabilities, no unappealing taste — only clever chemistry.

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My friend exclaimed, “wine diamonds!” when he noticed tiny crystals as he poured white wine into my glass. What were they?

ine diamonds are known by many different names including tartrates, tartrate crystals, cream of tartar and potassium bitartrate. Diamonds they are not. However … [they] have been mined since the beginning of winemaking, (though only isolated in 1769 by Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786)) to make a wide array of products from baking goods to medicines and [for] industrial [uses], such as electrolytic tinning of iron and steel. The crystals are a result of tartrate instability — that is, the result of tartaric acid salification caused by the presence of potassium mineral ions that triggers tartaric acid crystallization or simply tartrates. The heavy tartrates become insoluble in alcohol and at cold temperatures, therefore causing precipitation. The most common form of tartrates is potassium bitartrate — also known as potassium acid tartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, the potassium acid salt of the dicarboxylic tartaric acid (dihydroxysuccinic acid), due to the relatively higher concentration of potassium in juice and wine, though calcium tartrate can also happen. Potassium bitartrate causes harmless clear crystals to form which can look alarmingly similar to tiny shards of glass. If you have ever forgotten a bottle of white wine at the back of the refrigerator and have discovered crystals at the bottom then you have witnessed potassium bitartrate crystallization.

The amount of tartrates that can form is greatest in wines with high tartaric acid concentration, such as in a Riesling from a cool climate viticultural area, and depends on temperature, pH, and concentration of alcohol, potassium, calcium, and other compounds such as phenols and proteins. Reds are less prone to tartrates because of the lower tartaric acid and higher phenol concentrations. Phenols have an affinity for tartaric acid, therefore partially inhibiting crystallization. Although completely harmless, tartrates affect the appearance of wine because they form at the bottom of the bottle or on the face of the cork exposed to wine. In white wine, the crystals are colourless, while in reds the crystals absorb some red pigments from the wine and are therefore reddish in colour. It is usually considered acceptable to find a small amount of tartrates in premium wines. However, the majority of wines are processed to safeguard against tartrates to alleviate any consumer concerns. The process of protecting wine against tartrates is known as cold stabilization or tartrate stabilization, and involves chilling the wine at approximately or below (water) freezing for several days or more depending on the temperature. Larger wineries equipped with chilling units can cold stabilize wine in tanks right in the cellar. Tanks are equipped

with an outer shell, known as a cooling jacket, filled with a running supply of refrigerated coolant, usually propylene glycol to chill the wine. If you have ever noticed a thick layer of frost or ice around tanks when visiting wineries, you have witnessed cold stabilization. It is a standard procedure to first test cold stability before investing time, energy and money into chilling wine. This can be accomplished by either a conductivity test — [which is] quick but requires specialized equipment — or by placing a small wine sample in the refrigerator to establish if it throws crystals. Where cold chilling is not possible, potassium bitartrate crystallization can be inhibited by adding metatartaric acid as is commonly done in home winemaking but not allowed in commercial wines in many winemaking regions of the world. Metatartaric acid is a dispersed polymer (hemipolyactide) of tartaric acid — meaning that it consists of many polymers with different molecular weights — obtained by heating tartaric acid above its melting point at 170°C. Its drawback is that when added to wine, it hydrolyzes back to tartaric acid at a rate as a direct function of temperature and, therefore, loses effectiveness. Wines treated with metatartaric acid are meant to be drunk quickly particularly if they cannot be stored at cool temperatures. May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 15



Chemical Institute of Canada

Nominations are now open for the

ChemicalInstitute of Canada

2011AWARDSAct now!

Do you know an outstanding person who deserves to be recognized?

The Chemical Institute of CanadaMedal is presented as a mark of distinctionand recognition to a personwho has made an outstanding contributionto the science of chemistryor chemical engineering in Canada. Sponsored by the Chemical Institute of Canada. Award: A silver medal and travel expenses.

Environment Division Research and Development Award is

The

presented to a scientist or engineer residing in Canada who has made distinguished contributions to research and/or development in the fields of environmental chemistry or environmental chemical engineering. Sponsored by the CIC Environment Division. Award: A framed scroll, cash prize and travel expenses. The Montréal Medal is presented as a mark of distinction and honour to a residentin Canada who has shown significant leadership in or has made an outstandingcontribution to the professionof chemistryor chemical engineeringin Canada. In determining the eligibility for nominations for the award, administrative contributions

16 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

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within the Chemical Institute of Canada and other professional organizations that contribute to the advancement of the professions of chemistry and chemical engineering shall be given due consideration. Contributions to the sciences of chemistry and chemical engineering are not to be considered. Sponsoredby the Montréal CIC Local Section. Award: A medal and travel expenses.

Macromolecular Science and EngineeringAward is presented

The

to an individual who, while residing in Canada, has made a distinguished contribution to macromolecularscience or engineering. Sponsored by NOVA Chemicals Ltd. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The CIC Award for Chemical Education is presented as a mark of recognitionto a personwho has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to education at the post-secondary level in the field of chemistry or chemicalengineering. Sponsoredby the CIC Chemical Education Fund. Award: A framed scroll and a cash prize.

Deadlines

The deadline for all CIC awards is July 2, 2010 for the 2011 selection.

Nomination Procedure Submit your nominations to: Awards Manager Chemical Institute of Canada 130 Slater Street, Suite 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 T. 613-232-6252, ext. 223 F. 613-232-5862 awards@cheminst.ca

Nomination forms and the full Terms of Reference for these awards are available at www.cheminst.ca/awards.

I received a paddle-like gadget that promised to modify organoleptic qualities of wine in controlled fashion. Is this a gimmick?

his one has some merit — scientifically speaking. The device, the invention of French chemist and enologist Lorenzo Zanon and French sommelier Thomas Franck, consists of a stainless steel paddle incorporating a small alloy disc measuring approximately six millimetres that can be used to determine the aging potential of wine and, yes, modify organoleptic qualities such as softening tannins and developing aromas and flavours. The size and alloy have been precisely manufactured so that a one-second dip in 100 millilitres of wine is equal to one year of aging. The patent states that although the device does not age wine, the organoleptic effects are similar. The claim is based on the fact that wine undergoes very slow bottle maturation or what enologists define as a transition from a reductive state to an oxidative one. As we have already seen, the rate of transition or aging depends on the chemistry of the wine, namely its redox potential and storage conditions. If storage conditions are assumed ideal and kept constant, the reaction between the wine and the alloy can be used to gauge the aging potential. The alloy contains 95 per cent copper, three per cent gold, and two per cent silver. These metals scavenge any free sulfur-containing compounds that are maintaining the wine in a reductive state, thereby causing the wine to move towards the oxidative state as metal sulfides form and free aromatic compounds.

Aromatic alcohols, phenols and other aromatic compounds become slowly oxidized to give rise to different aromas and flavours. Depending on the redox state of the wine, the transformation can be positive or it can turn the wine into an unpleasant drink. The use of copper is well known in treating sulfide-affected wines but not silver and gold. You want to test the chemistry but do not want to invest [a lot of money]? Not a problem; you can do it for a cent with a pre-1996 Canadian copper penny. Older penny coins contain 95 per cent copper with the rest a mix of zinc and tin whereas newer pennies have a zinc or steel core with less than five per cent copper plating. Just keep in mind that a penny is about twenty millimetres — more than three times the size on the gadget — and so you will have to adjust your dip time accordingly to about a third of a second or increase the sample from 10 millilitres to 33 millilitres. ACCN Daniel Pambianchi is the founder and CEO of Cadenza Wines Inc., which operates Maleta Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. He is a columnist and technical editor for WineMaker magazine. Wine Myths, Facts & Snobberies ©Daniel Pambianchi, is published by Véhicule Press.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Write to us at magazine@accn.ca May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 17

Industry: Flavour

QA &

Q & A with

Tracy Cesario from FONA International Inc.

In Good Taste

The North American flavour industry melds good marketing, specialized science and a love of food to satisfy consumers' increasingly demanding palates.

Food technologists in FONA’s lab work to perfect the flavour profile of a new beverage.

ehind the words “natural and artificial flavours” — found on the ingredient list of practically everything you take off the grocery store shelf — is a group of highly specialized chemists and an entire industry devoted to appealing to the tastebuds of consumers. The flavour industry took root in North America in the late eighteenth century, but in an age when knowledge of food and ingredients is commonplace, consumer palates are ever-more demanding. ACCN spoke with Tracy Cesario, director of marketing, at FONA International in Geneva, Ill. — an American company with a research and development facility in Mississauga, Ont. — to find out how the industry is adapting.

ACCN: What’s the state of the flavour industry in Canada in 2010? T.C.: It’s a growing market. Because it’s a little bit smaller than the U.S. market, it’s an extremely competitive place. We’re seeing companies that 18 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

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are actually building manufacturing plants there, which is kind of a reversal of what we saw a decade ago when flavour companies were moving out of Canada or were, at the very least, closing their manufacturing plants. Potentially because there’s some saturation in the U.S. market, Canada has become a really attractive market for the flavour industry.

ACCN: Why is that? T.C.: In part because of its proximity. Canada has a number of companies that are experiencing good growth and that are still doing product development. In 2009 in particular we saw a lot of companies that held off launching new products from their pipeline, but in 2010 it’s picking back up quickly and companies are putting launches back on the calendar that they’ve held back for a period of time. There’s room for innovation in the Canadian food and beverage industry which means new product development.

ACCN: Is there one particular segment that is seeing growth? T.C.: I think it’s pretty much across the board. It ebbs and flows. You’ll see growth in the beverage industry, growth in performance nutrition. We, of course, see growth in confection.

ACCN: Is the flavour business a good business to be in right now? T.C.: It is. One of the challenges that we’re seeing is that the rate of changes in regulatory parameters is speeding up. There has always been changes that have happened over time in regulation, but right now, the rate of change is so quick that lots of flavour companies are struggling to keep up with how fast the FDA or the USDA or Health Canada are changing what the expectations are of manufacturers. ACCN: How much are the operations of the flavour business subject to the whims of peoples’ tastebuds? T.C.: They are in some ways. The way that new flavours are experienced is that they migrate from being an ingredient that people have tasted either in a food service setting, or that has recently become available at their local supermarket, or perhaps it’s something they’re bringing with them from their native culture and that they’re now beginning to look for in prepared foods or beverages or confections. So the things that are coming up on the radar of the flavour industry are constantly growing and changing. There’s logistics around the world, ingredients that are available for food service, and fruits that are available fresh in the market: As that continues to grow, flavour companies have to stay on top of whatever the next big thing is in terms of flavour. ACCN: Is there currently a “next big thing” in the flavour industry? T.C.: One of the big things is simplifying product labels. If you were to look at ingredient statements in 2009 for products that were introduced, there were 19 separate segments that had a reduction in the average number of items on the ingredient statement. Consumers are saying “I want less. I don’t want things that I can’t spell or recognize or that I can’t immediately understand what their function in this product is.” So, while we develop flavours, we also work to develop the products that those flavours are utilized in, so it changes the expectations on both our food scientists and our flavour chemists and changes the way that they need to develop these products. ACCN: How do you deliver the same food product with fewer ingredients? T.C.: It often means that [flavour chemists] are looking for different sources of flavours. When consumers are looking for simplicity on the label, they’re actually looking for it from the aspect of the food product. The flavour shows up on the product as “natural flavour” or “all-natural” flavour for example. They don’t really show the ingredients that are in the flavour because flavour is used at .01 per cent

in the finished product. It often doesn’t add enough of a particular ingredient to hit a threshold, depending on the type of product that it is. So when customers are looking for that simplicity, they’re really looking for “I want to see six ingredients on this rice packet that I’m buying. I don’t want to see 25 things and not understand what they are.” One of the interesting things you’re seeing now is that when there are ingredients that consumers might not be familiar with, manufacturers are explaining “this is for preservatives,” “this is for stability.” And they’re including information on their ingredient statement about what these different ingredients do for the product.

ACCN: That’s in direct response to increasing awareness? T.C.: Absolutely.

There are a couple of different products that are targeting this simplicity trend. Think of Pepsi Natural. Have you seen the Shredded Wheat advertisements that are kind of an anti-innovation campaign? They’re TV ads that make a case for the fact that there’s been no progress on this product for more than 100 years and that it’s unchanged. They talk about the gentleman who created the original Shredded Wheat: one man, one ingredient, one machine, which they call “the machine.” The ad says “it’s just one simple, honest ingredient which naturally comes with flavour, vitamins and minerals, why would we mess with that?” There’s also a number of companies that are saying they’re pulling out high-fructose corn syrup or artificial flavours. You’re seeing increased natural flavours or all-natural flavours.

ACCN: Why do you think there is this increasing awareness of what people eat? T.C.: We have access to information about food in a way that we never have before. We have mainstream TV programs that are about food, whether it’s food competitions, or how food is made, you have an entire food network, so the average consumer in many ways is becoming a foodie. They have a better understanding of how food is made and what’s available and how good food can and should taste. On the other hand, in the past several years there has been so much conflicting information, whether it’s “yes, you should be having carbs, no you shouldn’t be having carbs, yes you want sugar, no sugar.” At a certain point, consumers are on information overload and it actually becomes harder to make a choice. Instead, give them simple messages about your foods and allow them to make the choice with things that they trust. ACCN: Let’s talk about the science of flavour. How much of your staff works in the lab? T.C.: We have roughly about 60 people in R and D and we have both flavour chemists and food scientists on staff. There are approximately 500 certified flavour chemists (that’s people who have been certified by the Society of Flavour Chemists) in the world. To become a flavour chemist you need to study for five years under a certified flavour chemist. After the five-year apprenticeship program, you are qualified to sit for a qualifying exam with the Society of Flavour Chemists and at that point, you become a junior flavour chemist. Two years later, you go back to the Society of Flavour Chemists along with your sponsor and sit for the certifying exam. So it’s a seven year process at least. May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 19

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ACCN: Why so stringent? T.C.: Flavour chemistry is really at the junction between art and science. There’s an awful lot of science that goes behind it, science in understanding what different chemicals can contribute, understanding about carriers and solvents and flavour components and then, of course, top-noting particular flavours and knowing, “Alright, when I put this through this process, what’s going to happen,” yields and loss and all of that information. But also, think of a strawberry for example. There are a thousand different kinds of strawberry. One’s ripe, one’s green, one’s seedy, one’s what you would think of as a pie, one’s more adult, one’s more for children. So understanding, not just the science behind it, but the art of delivering a profile that meets the preference expectations of your audience; That takes a long time to master.

ACCN: What kind of person is attracted to that field? Are they foodies first? Or chemists first? T.C.: We have both. We have people who are absolutely foodies and we have other people who perhaps got introduced to it in college in some way and really loved the idea of building something that is so unique and so tangible. And then of course, they are backed up by a whole series of people: analytical chemists, sensory personnel and food scientists who are responsible for taking that flavour and working with the flavour chemists to apply it in whatever that finished product is going to be. Flavour and its impact on the product is very dependent on the rest of the things in the product: What’s the sweetener balance, what’s the acid balance, how much colour has been added — because the consumer’s expectation of how it tastes is going to be impacted by how it looks.

ACCN: So what’s the starting point? T.C.: Think of a flavour much like you would a recipe for a cookie, for example. Depending on whether it’s a strawberry or a cherry or whatever it is, there are particular components that flavour chemists start with to create the basic profile; This is the extract that’s going to help this taste like a strawberry, this is the piece that’s going to make it taste like a ripe strawberry, here’s the sulphurous component that’s going to help it be a really rich strawberry, and then they add on from there.

ACCN: How much of being a flavour chemist involves understandingwhere flavours come from naturally? T.C.: Quite a bit of it. There’s about 4,000 chemicals that flavour chemists need to understand — understand where they came from, what it will help contribute, what you might use it in, what it’s going to interact well with, what’s going to work together and what’s not. I can tell you from working in this building, often times you catch a whiff of something and you think “How would that ever make something taste good?” and yet it’s exactly that perfect little top note that you need in order to make that strawberry be this rich, ripe, juicy strawberry. And sure enough, on its own, that chemical might smell like dirty feet but added as just the right component to your strawberry or raspberry, it’s exactly what’s needed.

ACCN: How much of what they’re working with in the lab is a natural extract and how much is a synthetic? T.C.: That depends on the market. Confection for example, historically has looked for flavours that are less expensive and very high impact so the confection market often times relies on artificial flavours because they really need that high impact in that little tiny piece of candy or gum. However, as products move closer to premium and are therefore able to command a higher price point, then you start to see confection manufacturers who are open to using natural flavours. But the impact is harder to get, so it’s a balancing act. ACCN: If you put a flavour chemist in a room with a chef, would they get along or would they see things differently? T.C.: Absolutely, they’d get along. Flavour companies, including ourselves, frequently utilize chefs. They both want developers to approach a project the same way. Instead of thinking, “OK, I only have these eight ingredi ents and it’s got to go through this plant … ,” they want you to make your gold standard. Go into your kitchen and make that smoothy or make that yogurt from scratch and try to capture early on all those different nuances of the flavour profile that you want to capture. Then make your product with the goal of matching that gold standard as closely as possible. So flavour chemists and culinary professionals frequently work together.

ACCN: It sounds like flavour chemists are the laboratoryequivalent of the people you see on the Food Network. T.C.: Absolutely. And it’s funny because the way that they use analytical chemistry and sensory science is to augment what they do. As much as we have this very impressive, amazing equipment, none of it is ever going to be as sensitive as your own tongue and nose. They get as much as they can from the analytical equipment and then they’re responsible for filling in the holes. ACCN: Does working in this industry make you see food differently? T.C.: It certainly does. Often times you’ll taste a product and think “oh my goodness, if they had just used a juiced lime rather than a peely profile, the product would have been so much better.” You certainly do view food and the way that it tastes with new eyes. The thing that it probably opens my eyes to the most is that I look around in grocery stores and in restaurants in a way that I didn’t used to, recognizing what’s coming down the pike, what’s coming next. ACCN Want to share your thoughts on this article? Write to us at magazine@accn.ca

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 21

Chemical Engineering: Nanotechnology

The Small Food Movement

With nanotechnology in the mix, the future of food could be safer and more nutritious. By Alison Palmer

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ood science is going nano: Tiny, nutrient-filled capsules that transform foods like doughnuts and cheese into healthier pleasures; Intelligent packaging capable of detecting spoiled seafood or rotting fruit; Antimicrobial compounds that prevent the growth of bacterial coatings lurking on meat and food processing equipment. The prospect of manufacturing nanotechnology products for food applications remains a relatively new field and with its novelty comes a number of safety concerns. But a closer look into the effort reveals that food nanotechnology actually has the potential to make food better. By looking at the foods we love at the level of molecules, nanotechnology is transforming the way food is packaged and processed, ultimately creating safer, more nutritious foods. “The food that we eat, by its very nature, is nanostructured,” explains John Dutcher, a physicist at the University of Guelph and member of the Advanced Food and Materials Network (AFMNet), Canada’s Network of Centres of Excellence in food science. “Recent advances in nanoscience have allowed us — for the first time — to see this structure at the level of molecules and atoms.” These advances include instruments and tools such as atomic force microscopy, which can map out physical characteristics of nanostructures that could only be previously theorized, and computer simulation, which can show how molecules will react to changes in their environment, such as temperature, pH, relative humidity and nutrient levels. Dutcher is using computer simulation to study encapsulation, a nanotechnology being applied to food science with nutritious results. It can be used to mask unfavorable

smells or flavours in food; protect nutritious components against degrading processes used to prepare the food product, such as heating; and help the body to better absorb a food’s nutritious substances. Nutraceuticals are one example where encapsulation technology may be beneficial to health. Analogous to pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals are nutrients such as healthy fats or vitamins that can be inserted into nanoemulsions, nanoparticles or nanocapsules in order to be carried into the body via food. The approach of encapsulation overcomes the challenge of delivering nutrients, which are lipophilic, via food, which is generally hydrophilic. In vitamin-enhanced

drinks, for example, vitamins are distributed throughout the liquid in nanocapsules so small that they do not scatter light, making the drink clear, and so discreet that they do not alter the taste or texture of the beverage. Nutraceutical delivery could become a reality for many other drinks and foods as well, boosting our uptake of nutrients in products such as milk and beer, pastries and cheese. It could also be used to deliver salt in such a way that maintains saltiness, but reduces total salt levels in the body. A great challenge to achieving these realities is designing nutraceuticals capable of surviving the chomping experience in the mouth and the acidic environment in the stomach. Ideally, the

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 23

nutrients should be released in the neutral pH environment of the gut. One promising release strategy involves loading the desired lipophilic compound into a gel structure in which it is soluble, and covering it with a protective layer held together by weak forces that come apart in a specific pH range. “We’re not talking about engineering quantum dots, nanotubes and titanium dioxide nanoparticles here. Those nanostructures have strong bonding that the body would have a hard time breaking down,” explains Dutcher. “Instead, we’re taking advantage of natural self-assembly processes that use weak forces to keep nanostructures together. The body has ways of breaking such structures down via enzymes and changes in temperature and pH.” Maintaining the quality of such foods is another goal being addressed via nanotechnology. Through “smart packaging,” consumers are able to detect when food has gone bad. Electronic tongues and noses are examples of biosensors, a type of smart packaging, which measures the biological material emitted from a product and produces a signal when levels are high enough to be considered “bad.” Some of these sensors detect oxygen, while others detect byproducts of food spoilage such as trimethylamines for seafood and ethylene for fruit. One type of oxygen sensor is composed of ink that contains titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The nanoparticles become sensitive to oxygen levels once they are exposed to UV light, and change colour as oxygen levels change to provide a signal of tampered packaging. Researchers are also investigating the possibility of producing packaging that can be tailored to a person's tastes, allergies and nutrient deficiencies. The future may see packaging capable of acting like an automatic

vitamin dispensary, delivering a dose of calcium to a person suffering from osteoporosis or vitamin D to a person lacking sun exposure. Incorporating antimicrobial compounds into packaging, to prevent microbe-induced spoilage before it starts, promises built-in protection against some kinds of food poisoning, a danger that has been making headlines more and more in recent years. Accompanying these efforts to develop nanotechnologies for food packaging and processing is research into their safety and environmental impacts. Questions currently being asked by the nanotechnology research community include: What potential hazards does food nanotechnology have for human health and the environment? How can these risks be managed? What is the impact of smart packaging on the waste stream? “There is discussion that the introduction of nanotechnology to food could spark debate

reminiscent of genetically modified organisms,” says Rickey Yada, scientific director of AFMNet, which is Canada's front line of research and development in the area of advanced foods and bio-materials. They are working on everything from new, lower cost antibiotics, to improved frozen food quality, to faster-healing wound dressings. Yada stresses the need to explore and introduce nanotechnology, as with all new technologies, in a transparent, rigorously researched way. Testing is ongoing and true commercial applications of nanotechnology in food are just emerging, but one thing is clear — nanotechnology has the potential to significantly alter the future of food. ACCN

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Write to us at magazine@accn.ca

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 25

Become a Certified Chemical Technologist (cCT) cCT certification offered by the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology (CSCT) • Is recognized nationally by employers • Is based on Canada-wide technology standards • Allows for greater career mobility CSCT members in good standing who have attained the required combination of education and experience in chemical technologyneed only apply once for the cCT and pay the onetime fee of $25 plus tax. Certification remains valid as long as CSCT membership is maintained. For more information or to apply go to www.chem-tech.ca/cct or contact Kevin Ferris, CSCT Certification Director at kferris@ ferrischemicals.com.

Leaving a legacy

From one generation to the next Do you want to ensure that the next generation will contribute chemistry solutions to tomorrow’s global challenges? Do you want to be part of their discovery of the wonders of chemistry? Through the CSC Legacy Fund, you can now leave a gift, either outright or deferred (in a will), to support projectsand initiatives that help the Canadian Society for Chemistry pursue its mandate of education-related projects. Find out how you can make a gift by visiting www.chemistry.ca/legacy.

The CSC Legacy Fund is a charitable fund initiated by the CSC and created in collaboration with the CIC Chemical Education Fund (CEF). It is held and administered by the CEF.

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Society Society NewsNews Nouvelles Nouvelles des sociétés des sociétés National Office

Sixty-five Years On Press In 1945, the fledgling Chemical Institute of Canada launched “Chemical Institute News” its monthly newsletter which eventually morphed into the Canadian Chemical News/L’Actualité chimique canadienne (ACCN). To commemorate 65 years of publishing, we here excerpt some of what made the news in Volume 1.

Vol. 1, No. 1 THE Interim Director of Information and the Honorary Editor offer herewith the first issue of a new publication, the “Chemical Institute News”, to members of the Chemical Institute of Canada. The “Chemical Institute News” will be issued monthly and will be sent free to all members of the Chemical Institute … . This is YOUR news bulletin. Corresponding secretaries are requested to send in their news items, personals and any chemical jokes — if printable — by the first of the month.

A Canadian Council of Professional Engineers and Scientists

ngineers, architects and chemists, through their respective institutes and associations, have accomplished, during this war, something that would never have been anticipated in normal times. This has been made possible because scientists, sharing common objectives and trained to assemble and appraise facts, have applied their minds and their experience to the solution of some all-important national problems. This collaboration was spontaneous and did not need to be organized to bear fruit. Recent events in the field of collective bargaining, and anticipation of the post-war problems that will have to be solved in the cold light of facts have clearly shown, however, that more frequent contacts and a permanent agency are required in order to achieve even more important results. That is why a Canadian Council of Professional Engineers and Scientists has been recently established… The Chemical Institute of Canada was active in the birth of this Council. Vol.1, No. 2

Development of Insecticides and Fungicides* W.H. TISDALE† he control of insects and fungi constitutes a major economic factor. The ravages of war have served to emphasize

the need for better pest-control measures to protect food and the other necessities of life, and to protect humans against insects and the serious diseases spread by them. Chemicals which serve as a major means of control were mentioned in early history, but organized research to develop insecticides and fungicides is of recent origin. Productive research is still being conducted on the old known toxic elements, such as sulphur, arsenic, copper and mercury. However, some of the most effective products are the recently developed organo-metallics, and the purely organics, including those derived from plants, and the synthetics.

Chinese nutritionists is to supply adequate amounts of qualitatively good proteins as well as adequate amounts of calcium and vitamins from other sources. Dr. Adolph told of some experiences of those in Japanese concentration camps where, despite extremely poor diet, accommodation and sanitation, both health and morale were maintained at satisfactory levels by internal co-operation and ingenuity. A calcium dietary deficiency was overcome by introducing into the diet a ration of powdered eggshells. This meeting marked the Section’s annual “Ladies’ Night” and for the occasion excellent after-dinner entertainment was provided.

*Summary of Address delivered to the Montreal Section, Chemical Institute of Canada, January 17th, 1945.

•

†Dr. W.H. Tisdale is in charge of the Pest Control Research Section, E.I. du Pont Co., Grasselli Division

Vol. 1, No. 3

Section Activities Montreal Section, C.I.C. Nutrition in China

he February general meeting of the Montreal Section was addressed by Dr. Wm. H. Adolph, Professor of Biochemistry and Nutrition at Cornell University. Dr. Adolph spent a number of years in China on the faculties of Cheelco and Yenching Universities. His position at the latter terminated when he was interned by the Japanese after outbreak of the present Pacific War. He returned to America following the 1943 Gripsholm civilian exchange. Speaking of nutrition in China, Dr. Adolph showed how rural China has furnished one of the most interesting large-scale, long-term experiments with vegetarian diet. Rural China’s food habit, like its agricultural economy, has remained largely unchanged over a period of centuries. The diet is essentially vegetarian and about 88% is cereals. Although almost all food protein is vegetable protein, it is significant that in many parts of north China long custom has dictated the use of mixed cereal in the diet. Such mixed cereal proteins show enhanced nutritive values. According to American and European standards, the calcium intake is low. The obvious correction, development of a widespread dairy industry in China, is probably impossible at present time, so the major problem confronting

Science Students Regulations*

n view of the impending graduation of another class in Engineering and Science, steps have been taken by the Wartime Bureau of Technical Personnel to give effect to the provisions of the Science Students Regulations. A composite travelling board, made up of representatives of the Bureau and of the technical branches of the Navy and Army, began a series of visits to Canadian universities. By the end of January, fifteen of the twenty-three institutions had been covered. Some eight hundred graduating students were interviewed individually by Bureau officers and, of these, five hundred, whose training and medical categories were suitable, were referred to service selection officers for consideration. The stay at each university concluded with a general meeting of the graduating class at which manpower controls were discussed and numerous questions were answered. Advantage was taken of these meetings to emphasize that, whatever hopes may be entertained as to an early termination of the war, the realities of the situation demand the strictest attention to the matter of manpower priorities, with service in the forces in suitable capacity having first place for those who are fit and otherwise acceptable, followed by civilian operations of the highest essentiality. It is safe to say that such a tour of the universities is of the greatest value and that the action of the Departments of Labour and of National Defence in organizing it is duly appreciated by those concerned. *W.B.T.P. Bulletin, January 1945

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 27



Canadian Society for Chemistry

Nominations are now open for the

CanadianSociety for Chemistry

2011AWARDSAct now!

Do you know an outstanding person who deserves to be recognized? The Rio Tinto Alcan Award is presented to a scientist who has made a distinguished contributionin the fields of inorganic chemistry or electrochemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by Rio Tinto Alcan. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses.

The Maxxam Award is presented to a scientist who has made a distinguished contribution in the field of analytical chemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by Maxxam Analytics Inc. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses.

significant potential for practical applications. The award is open to new faculty members at a Canadian university. They must be recent graduates with six years of appointment. Sponsored by Eli Lilly Canada Inc. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses.

The Alfred Bader Award is presented as a mark of distinction and recognition for excellence in research in organic chemistry by a chemist who is currently working in Canada. Sponsored by Alfred Bader, HFCIC. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses.

The R. U. Lemieux Award is presented to an organic chemist who has made a distinguished contribution to any area of organic chemistry and who is currently working in Canada. Sponsored by the Organic Chemistry Division. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses.

The Strem Chemicals Award for Pure or Applied Inorganic Chemistry is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who has made an outstanding contributionto inorganic chemistry while working in Canada, and who is within ten years of his or her first professional appointment as an independent researcher in an academic, government, or industrial sector. Sponsored by Strem Chemicals Inc. Award: A framed scroll and travel expenses for a lecture tour.

The Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada, who shall not have reached the age of 40 years by April 1 of the year of nomination and who has made a distinguished contribution in the fields of organic chemistry or biochemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses.

The Keith Laidler Award is presented to a scientist who has made a distinguished contributionin the field of physical chemistry while working in Canada. The award recognizes early achievementin the awardee’s independent research career. Sponsored by the Physical, Theoretical and Computational Division. Award: A framed scroll.

The Boehringer Ingelheim Award is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant whose PhD thesis in the field of organic or bioorganic chemistry was formallyaccepted by a Canadian university in the 12-month period preceding the nominationdeadline of July 2 and whose doctoral research is judged to be of outstanding quality. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses. The Clara Benson Award is presented in recognition of a distinguished contribution to chemistry by a woman while working in Canada. Sponsored by the Canadian Council of University Chemistry Chairs (CCUCC). Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses.

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The Bernard Belleau Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of medicinal chemistry through research involving biochemical or organic chemical mechanisms. Sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb Canada Co. Award: A framed scroll and a cash prize. The John C. Polanyi Award is presented to a scientist for excellence in research in physical, theoretical or computational chemistry or chemical physics carried out in Canada. Sponsored by the Physical, Theoretical and Computational Division. Award: A framed scroll. The Fred Beamish Award is presented to an individual who demonstrates innovation in research in the field of analytical chemistry, where the research is anticipated to have

The W. A. E. McBryde Medal is presented to a young scientist working in Canada who has made a significant achievement in pure or appliedanalytical chemistry. Sponsored by MDS Analytical Technologies. Award: A medal and a cash prize. The E. W. R. Steacie Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to chemistry while working in Canada. Award: A framed scroll and travel expenses.

Deadline The deadline for all CSC awards is July 2, 2010 for the 2011 selection.

Nomination Procedure Submit your nominations to: Awards Manager Canadian Society for Chemistry 130 Slater Street, Suite 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 T. 613-232-6252, ext. 223 F. 613-232-5862 awards@cheminst.ca

Nomination forms and the full Terms of Reference for these awards are available at www.chemistry.ca/awards.

Society News Nouvelles des sociétés Vol. 1 No. 5

“Metal Finishing”

n March 29th, Mr. W.B. Billingsley, F.C.I.C., Metallurgist, Canadian Industries Limited, addressed the Montreal Junior Board of Trade (Metal Industries) on the subject “Metal Finishing”. Corrosion of metal surfaces may be combated by the use of protective metallic films or coatings. These may be applied by electroplating, hot dip galvanizing, tinning, and lead coating processes. Due to the tremendous tonnages of alclad and copper-steel now being produced for aircraft and small arms manufacture, metal-cladding has come rapidly to the fore. Formerly these processes were largely employed in the production of Sheffield plate and gold-filled ware. Porcelain and vitreous enamelling also occupy an important place in the protection of metal surfaces. Vol. 1, No. 8

Plastics Education in Canada R.V.V. Nicholls Assistant Professor of Chemistry, McGill University Plastics Industry —Organization and Careers

he plastics industry is marked by youth and vigour. It is not large. Thus, in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, the manufacturing branch of the industry produces annually only about 250 thousand tonnes of plastics, valued at about 150 million dollars. These are not large figures as manufacturing industries go. Therefore, rumour to the contrary, opportunities for a successful career are distinctly limited. How is the plastics industry organized? The industry is composed of producers, molders, fabricators, and laminators. The producers are usually chemical manufacturing firms that, among other chemical products, manufacture the raw materials (resins) from which finished products are molded, extruded, cast, fabricated, or laminated. In Canada not more than ten companies are engaged in the manufacture of resins. Most resins are imported from the United States and, to a lesser degree, from the United Kingdom… The molders take the raw materials and form them into a variety of finished products by such operations as compression, injection, or transfer molding, extrusion, and casting… The fabricators take semi-finished plastic pieces (stock forms, sheets, tubes, rods, etc.) and finish them by operations familiar to any woodworker…

The laminators manufacture or buy resins for impregnating paper, cloth, or wood, and then form the latter into finished products.

Vol. 1, No. 11

Atomic Energy

“

ome Aspects of Atomic Energy” was the title of an excellent address presented by Dr. L. G. Cook of the Chemistry Division, National Research Council Laboratories, to the Montreal Section at its first regular dinner meeting of the 1945-46 season, and at a similar function to the Cornwall Section. Dr. Cook studied under Prof. Otto Hahn, the discoverer of the fission of U-235. During the war the speaker has been actively engaged in Canada’s atomic research programme. In the speaker’s opinion, atomic power marks the entry of man into a new era. It is a discovery which ranks with that of fire and may have even more important results. An amazing aspect of the development of atom splitting is that its entire history has occurred during the lifetime of the present generation. The greater part of the development has taken place in the brief period since 1938. The neutrons and protons that make up the heavy nuclear mass of the atom were compared

to two kinds of bricks, which could be used to build all the various atoms. One kind of brick may be changed to the other by the addition of an electron or energy charge. This change represents the goal of the ancient alchemist who tried to change the base metals into gold. The splitting of a U-235 atom is caused by the addition of an extra neutron. This splitting causes a reaction more violent than any previously conceived. Knowledge of the control and direction of this heretofore hidden power is just beginning. Manufacture of atomic energy-producing materials must take place behind thick protecting coverings of concrete or lead to block the gamma radiations that accompany disintegration. This is likely to limit its use as a source of power to large stationary plants. Common salt may be made radioactive, and suitable instruments can follow its movements through the human body. This new tool can be of untold value to medical science and to the study of complex chemical reactions. ACCN

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In memoriam The CIC wishes to extend its condolences to the families of Michael Pollard, MCIC and George H. Tomlinson II, FCIC. ACCN

May 2010 Canadian Chemical News 29

Chemfusion Joe Schwarcz

Hold the Fries

poster adorning the walls of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in California may just take your appetite away. Or at least make you consider giving up the fries. It says “Cooked potatoes that have been browned, such as french fries, baked potatoes and potato chips, contain acrylamide, a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.” Is California really privy to some information that has eluded the rest of the world? No. But the state does have a unique law, Proposition 65, which states that “no person in the course of doing business shall knowingly and intentionally expose any individual to a chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity without first giving clear and reasonable warning to such individual.” So, is the warning about acrylamide reasonable? Concern over this chemical first appeared in 2002 when Swedish researchers detected it in a variety of foods ranging from french fries and bread to cereals and coffee. Alarm spread quickly because acrylamide, a known carcinogen, was now turning up in food. The chemical’s toxicity had been extensively studied because of its long history as a precursor to polyacrylamide, a chemical widely used in water treatment and cement

30 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

Mai 2010

manufacture. Since it had been found to cause cancer in animals, as well as neurological problems in people, strict guidelines for occupational exposure had been formulated. Nobody had expected acrylamide to appear in food. Yet there it was. How did this industrial chemical contaminate such a wide range of foods? It didn’t take long for chemists to solve that problem. Acrylamide wasn’t an outside contaminant, it was actually being formed in the food! It had always been there, it just hadn’t been detected before. That’s somewhat surprising because the reaction responsible for the formation of acrylamide, the Maillard reaction, had been the subject of numerous investigations since it was first described in 1912 by the French chemist Louis Camille Maillard. When sugars are heated with amino acids, Maillard discovered, they form a wide range of compounds that are responsible for the flavour and colour of many common foods. Bread crust, pretzels, roasted coffee, popcorn, grilled onions and fried potatoes all owed their flavour and colour to a host of reactions between various sugars and amino acids. The product of asparagine — an amino acid and a common constituent of proteins — reacting with glucose? Acrylamide! Any ingested acrylamide is considered by the body to be an undesirable foreign intruder. Our detoxicating systems go to work and gear up to get rid of the chemical either by excreting it directly through the kidneys, ferrying it out of the body by linking it to glutathione, or enzymatically converting it to urine-soluble glycidamide. But the problem is that both acrylamide and glycidamide are very reactive molecules and can damage important biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids before they are eliminated. Glycidamide in particular is a known carcinogen and a possible reproductive toxin. There is no doubt that acrylamide can cause cancer in animals, but can it do so in humans? That’s a tough question to answer. The doses that cause cancer in animals are at least a thousand times greater than the amounts of acrylamide to which we are exposed through common dietary sources. But the possibility that exposure of humans to small doses over a long period of time may have an effect similar to large doses in animals over a short period cannot be ruled out. That is why, since the original detection of acrylamide in the diet back in 2002, a large number of case-control

and cohort epidemiological studies have explored this possibility. In a case-control study, subjects with a particular disease are compared to a similar group of healthy people. All are questioned about their lifestyle and dietary habits in an attempt to find a possible connection to the disease. In a cohort study, a large number of healthy people are followed for years to see what disease patterns emerge. Again, attempts are made to find a link between lifestyle factors and disease. Over two dozen such studies have investigated the possible connection between dietary acrylamide and various cancers. No association has been found with colorectal, bladder, breast, brain, prostate, thyroid, lung, gastric, esophageal or pancreatic cancers. The only cancers where the epidemiological studies are inconsistent are kidney, ovarian and endometrial cancers, with some researchers noting a possible association. Overall, the data do not support a link between dietary acrylamide and cancer. It is also noteworthy that coffee accounts for almost half of our dietary acrylamide intake and coffee consumption has not been linked with any sort of cancer. Still, because acrylamide is an animal carcinogen, Health Canada has added it to its list of toxic substances and is urging the food industry to take steps to reduce our exposure to the chemical. Various methodologies have already been developed, including baking and frying at lower temperatures (below 120 degrees Celsius) and reducing the levels of sugar and asparagine in foods susceptible to acrylamide formation. A clever technique involves the addition of asparaginase, an enzyme isolated from a strain of the mould Aspergillus oryzae, which is commonly used to ferment soybeans for soy sauce. But some people are concerned about adding yet another chemical to our food supply, even though Health Canada has deemed it safe. Given the lack of evidence for dietary acrylamide causing cancer, maybe the question we should be asking isn’t whether asparaginase is safe or not, but whether we are looking for a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. ACCN Joe Schwarcz is the director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society.

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