Dear readers, hope you like our advent calendar: "The aromas of Christmas"
Can you identify these smells? Do these smells trigger emotions on you?
DECEMBER
9th
THE
AROMA OF CHRISTMAS TREE
The
aroma of pine trees is one that’s evocative of Christmas; one of
the responsible molecules is alpha-pinene.
Pinene
is a compound which occurs naturally as two different isomers:
alpha-pinene, and beta-pinene. In most pine trees, alpha-pinene is
the more abundant of the two, but both are commonly present in the
resin of the trees.
Terpenes
are also responsible for the blue haze that is sometimes visible over
pine-covered mountains. The aerosols that the terpenes form in the
atmosphere can have a scattering effect on sunlight; this leads to
shorter wavelengths of light coming to the fore, and the light taking
on a blue appearance.
Though
the most abundant, pinene isn’t the only terpene amongst the
volatile compounds given off by pine trees. There are also other
minor constituents, such as limonene (also found in the peel of
citrus fruits), myrcene, camphene, and phellandrene.
Exemple of chemical structure of a terpene
December.
10th
Candy
Canes
A
candy cane is a cane-shaped stick candy often associated with
Christmastide. It is traditionally white with red stripes and
flavored with peppermint, but they also come in a variety of other
flavors and colors.
In
1670, in Cologne, Germany, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral,
wishing to remedy the noise caused by children in his church during
the Living CrĂšche tradition of Christmas Eve, asked a local candy
maker for some "sugar sticks" for them. In order to justify
the practice of giving candy to children during worship services, he
asked the candy maker to add a crook to the top of each stick, which
would help children remember the shepherds who visited the infant
Jesus. In addition, he used the white color of the converted sticks
to teach children about the Christian belief in the sinless life of
Jesus. From Germany, candy canes spread to other parts of Europe,
where they were handed out during plays reenacting the Nativity The
candy cane became associated with Christmastide...
Candy
canes are made mostly of sucrose. Sucrose is common sugar. It is a
disaccharide: a molecule composed of two monosaccharides: glucose and
fructose. Sucrose is naturally produced in plants, from which table
sugar is refined. It has the molecular formula C12H22O11.
The bond that is established between the glucose molecule and the
fructose molecule is called the alpha 1-2 glycosidic bond and itis
located below the plane of the molecule .
December,
11th
Ginger
bread
Ginger
is abundant in active constituents, such as phenolic compounds. The
phenolic compounds in ginger are mainly gingerols.
Around
the 11th century, in some areas of Europe, bread began to be flavored
with ginger, not only for its good flavor but also because this
ingredient improved its conservation. Over time this custom spread
throughout Europe and, in 1300, the city of Nuremberg, in Germany,
was declared the "gingerbread capital of the world". In the
16th century, ginger biscuits began to be made and those who made
them were recognized as professionals. These cookies were mainly
prepared at Christmas and Easter. They were given shapes that
recalled some religious aspects and hung on the windows or used as a
good luck charm.The first decorated gingerbread houses were built in
the nineteenth century, probably inspired by the tales of the
Brothers Grimm, such as that of Hansel and Gretel, in which the
protagonists get lost in a forest and find a house decorated with
candies.
Phenol December,
12th
POINSETTIA
The
reason we associate poinsettias with the holidays comes
from an old Mexican legend. A young girl named Pepita was sad that
she didn't have a gift to leave for the baby Jesus at Christmas Eve
services. The young girl picked a small handful of weeds from the
roadside and made them into a a small bouquet. Suddenly, the
bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw
them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright
red flowers were known as the 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of
the Holy Night'.
The
poinsettia has diversified ruby red leaves and produces a very toxic
latex, especially for pets. Latex cannot be used at the
pharmaceutical level because it is too irritating.
The
whole plant is toxic for the presence of ricin, a chemical that leads
to the blocking of protein synthesis. The seeds can be squeezed to
obtain the grape oil which is rich in percentage of a fatty acid
called ricinoleic acid. It has purgan effect, since it irritates the
intestine.
Ricinoleic
acid
December, 13th
PANETTONE
Christmas is around the corner, and you know what that means: cookies, fruit cake and Panettone.
Panettone an Italian yeast-leavened bread, usually made with raisins, candied fruit peels, almonds, and brandy. Our mouths are watering too, so let's learn more.
The softness of the panettone is due to the fermentation process that takes place using natural or artificial yeasts.
The panettone in addition to flour and yeasts contains eggs, butter and water which participate in a particular type of reaction called Maillard Reaction.
In this reaction, which takes place between 140 ° C and 180 ° C, the proteins and carbohydrates are transformed into aromatic molecules, causing the color of the panettone to turn from yellow to brown.
December, 14th
Christmas Balls
The Christmas balls are a typical Christmas decoration to hang on your Christmas tir. The balls can be of different colors, sizes and materials but the most common are mirrored glass balls. Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent amorphous solid, that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of the molten form; some glasses such as volcanic glass are naturally occurring. The glass is transparent, hard, almost inert from a chemical and biological point of view, it has a very smooth surface. These characteristics make it a material used in many sectors; at the same time the glass is fragile and tends to break into sharp fragments. These disadvantages can be obviated (in part or entirely) by adding other chemical elements or by means of heat treatments.
The amorphous structure of glassy silica (SiO2) in two dimensions. No long-range order is present, although there is local ordering with respect to the tetrahedral arrangement of oxygen (O) atoms around the silicon (Si) atoms.
December, 15th
CINNAMON
How do you usually finish your Christmas lunch?
In Italy we usually drink a glass of cinnamon liqueur.
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum.
The flavor of cinnamon is due to an aromatic essential oil that is prepared by roughly pounding the bark, macerating it in seawater, and then quickly distilling the whole.
This essential oil is composed of 90% cinnamaldehyde and the remainder of ethyl cinnamate, eugenol, beta-caryophyllene, linalool, and methyl chavicol.
In the body, cinnamaldehyde is quickly oxidized to cinnamic acid, which in turn is converted to benzoic or hippuric acid and excreted in the urine.
Cinnemaldehyde has anticancer and anticorrosive activity.
December, 16th
SCENTED CANDLES
During the Christmas period, everyone loves to stay at home with the family surrounded by the fragrance of a beautiful scented candle.
During the 18th century, scented candles were mainly made of Beeswax and other natural elements. When Beeswax burned, there was a sweet fragrance of honey. Beeswax is composed of Stearin: a mixture of Palmitic and Stearic acids: 2 of the most common saturated fatty acids.
Since the 19th century, scented candles have been mainly made by adding fragrance oils to Paraffin, which is a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons derived from petroleum. Some fragrances could tickle some brain circuits. For example, jasmine, lavender, and peppermint are used to allay stress, anxiety, and depression.
Ă Stearin (in Beeswax)
December, 17th
The bronze bells
The bronze bells are a Christmas symbol, you can listen them ringing on Christmas night.
The bronze is defined as an alloy made of copper (Cu) and another metal, usually tin (Sn).
Bronze is one of the earliest metals known to man. The Bronze Age is the name given to the time period when bronze was the hardest metal that was widely used. Bronze has been used to make coins and sculptures. Now bronze is used in architecture for structural and design elements, for bearings because of its friction properties, and as phosphor bronze in musical instruments, electrical contacts, and ship propellers and much more.
Bronze usually is a golden hard, brittle metal. The properties depend on the specific composition of the alloy as well as how it has been processed but his typical characteristics are: highly ductile; low friction; it is brittle, but less so than cast iron; won't generate sparks if you striking it against a hard surface. Also Upon exposure to air, bronze oxidizes, but only on its outer layer. This patina consists of copper oxide, which eventually becomes copper carbonate. The oxide layer protects the interior metal from further corrosion.
December, 18th
THE CHEMISTRY OF CHOCOLATE: THE MOLECULE OF HAPPINESS
Chocolate at Christmas time!
Chocolate contains more than 300 to 500 chemicals, some of which react inside the human brain and improve the mood.
It consists mainly cocoa, but also polyphenols, in particular flavonoids that act as anti-oxidants and help prevent cancer. Another important molecule is Phenymethylamine, which is a "love drug" and gives pleasant effects by releasing b-endorphin. This molecule in fact, increases the concentration of blood sugar and also blood pressure, which lead to a feeling of well-being and happiness.
At the end, chocolate releases Serotonin, which is the neurotransmitter of happiness and that is why after eating chocolate you feel happier.
December, 19th
SPARKLING WINE
The sparkling wine is mainly composed of polyphenols. Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring organic compounds characterized by multiples of phenol units. The antioxidant properties of natural phenolic compounds (phenolic acids, flavonoids,lignans, tannins) originated from plant material are investigated since several years.
Polyphenol may exert an antiatherosclerotic action by virtue of its antioxidant properties and by increasing HDL cholesterol levels.
Polyphenols in the grapes
