Does Guinness Travel Well?

This study aimed to test the much-pronounced but poorly supported theory that "Guinness does not travel well." A total of 4 researchers from 4 different countries of origin traveled around the world for 12 mo to collect data on the enjoyment of Guinness and related factors. The main outcome was measured on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0 (enjoyed it not at all) to 100 (enjoyed it very much). A total of 103 tastings were recorded (42 in Ireland, 61 elsewhere) in 71 different pubs spread over 33 cities and 14 countries. The enjoyment of Guinness consumed in Ireland was rated higher (74 mm VAS) than outside Ireland (57 mm; P < 0.001). This difference remained statistically significant after adjusting for researcher, pub ambience, Guinness appearance, and the sensory measures mouthfeel, flavor, and aftertaste. This study is the first to provide scientific evidence that Guinness does not travel well and that the enjoyment of Guinness (for our group of nonexpert tasters) was higher when in Ireland. Results, however, are subject to further verification because of limitations in the study design.     

Does Oenococcus oeni produce histamine?

The presence of histamine in wine and other fermented foods may pose a toxicological risk for consumers. Production of histamine by Oenococcus oeni, which is the main agent of malolactic fermentation in wine and thus very important for the wine industry, has been extensively analyzed with contradictory results. If histamine production by O. oeni strains is a widespread trait, enological practices will be affected and the use of non-producing commercial O. oeni starters should be strongly recommended to avoid histamine production during winemaking. However, a review of published data showed that most evidence strongly supports the view that O. oeni is not responsible for histamine production in wine. We therefore propose the adoption of common analytical methods and the introduction of publicly-available validated histamine-producing O. oeni reference strains as a common positive control in assays to resolve this important issue.     

Toxic groundwater contaminants: an overlooked contributor to urban stream syndrome?

Screening for common groundwater contaminants was performed along eight urban stream reaches (100s-1000s of m) at approximately 25-75 cm below the streambeds. Four sites had known or suspected chlorinated-solvent plumes; otherwise no groundwater contamination was known previously. At each site, between 5 and 22 contaminants were detected at levels above guideline concentrations for the preservation of aquatic life, while several others were detected at lower levels, but which may still indicate some risk. Contaminants of greatest concern include numerous metals (Cd, Zn, Al, Cu, Cr, U), arsenic, various organics (chlorinated and petroleum), nitrate and ammonium, and chloride (road salt likely), with multiple types occurring at each site and often at the same sampling location. Substantial portions of the stream reaches (from 40 to 88% of locations sampled) possessed one or more contaminants above guidelines. These findings suggest that this diffuse and variable-composition urban groundwater contamination is a toxicity concern for all sites and over a large portion of each study reach. Synergistic toxicity, both for similar and disparate compounds, may also be important. We conclude that groundwater contaminants should be considered a genuine risk to urban stream aquatic ecosystems, specifically benthic organisms, and may contribute to urban stream syndrome.     

Does monetary poverty reflect caloric intake?

The use of expenditure surveys to measure food insecurity is widely discussed. In this study, we investigate food insecurity in terms of monetary poverty. Using a Malian survey that incorporates exceptionally detailed information on food consumption, we estimate that 35 % of the households are in a paradoxical situation, some poor households managing to cover their caloric requirements by eating cheap calories and some non-poor households not doing so because they consume expensive calories and/or face constraints such as the obligation to share meals with visitors and high expenditure on health care or transportation. These findings highlight precautions that need to be taken when measuring food insecurity through monetary income or expenditure indicators.     

Does consumer ethnocentrism influence product knowledge?

Consumer ethnocentrism refers to the consumer opinion as to whether or not it is appropriate or even immoral to purchase foreign-made products. The focus of this paper is to analyze the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and consumer knowledge structures with the example of Bavarian food products. By means of concept mapping and structured interviews with 193 consumers in three different European countries, consumer ethnocentrism and knowledge of Bavarian food products was queried. Results of count-data regression models show that there is a negative relation between consumer ethnocentrism and the complexity of product knowledge. While there is no significant effect of gender, age and education, nationality matters with regard to the complexity of cognitive structures. The information about the relation between the level of consumer ethnocentrism and product knowledge can help marketers to segment the market more effectively and thus to successfully target different consumer groups with appropriate product communication.     

Does caffeine bind to metal ions?

The complex formation capacity of caffeine, a highly-consumed tea and coffee component, was determined for Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Co and Cr metal ions. The binding constants of metal ion–caffeine complexes for the metals chosen were determined spectrophotometrically. The results were compared with the known stability constants of metal ion–EDTA complexes, EDTA being known for its high metal binding capacity. Furthermore, iron chelating activity of caffeine, using the ferrozine reference method, was studied and compared with that of EDTA. The results showed very little complex formation capacity of caffeine with binding constants of 29.6, 22.4, 59, 396, 55, 9.3, 83 and 592 M⁻¹ for Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Co and Cr metal ions, respectively, in contrast to that of EDTA. The iron chelating activity of caffeine was also found to be 6%, which was considered to be quite low compared with EDTA.     

Has submarine groundwater discharge been overlooked as a source of mercury to coastal waters?

We measured the mercury (Hg) in groundwater, aquifer sediments, and surface water in Waquoit Bay (Massachusetts) and found that this toxic metal (range: <3.2-262 pM) was being released within the subterranean estuary, with similarly high levels (range: 18-256 pM) found in the surface waters of the bay. None of the dissolved species (DOC, chloride, and Fe) normally observed to influence Hg partitioning correlated well with the observed Hg concentrations. It was hypothesized that this was in part due to the variable loading in time and space of Hg onto the aquifer sands in combination with the seasonality of groundwater flow through the aquifer. Aquifer sediment samples from the study site ranged from <1 to 12.5 pmol of Hg/g of sediment, suggesting log Kd values on the order of 1. We hypothesize that this was due to the low organic carbon content typical of the aquifer sediments. Last, itwas estimated that submarine groundwater discharge supplied 0.47-1.9 nmol of Hg m(-2) day(-1) to the bay, which is an order of magnitude higher than the atmospheric deposition rate for the northeastern U.S.     

Do ponds cause arsenic-pollution of groundwater in the Bengal basin? An answer from West Bengal

We report time-series data collected over two years for delta18O, delta2H, and Ca, Mg, K, and Cl, concentrations for 10 ponds in, and upflow of, an As-polluted region of southern West Bengal. We compare the compositions of As-polluted groundwaters from wells with the compositions of waters in ponds upflow, and within the range of influence, of the wells. Conservative tracers (delta18O, delta2H, K), and other tracers (Ca, Mg) that are likely conservative in the waters, showthat pondwater and groundwater are distinct and do not overlap in composition. These data show that water from ponds cannot be identified in As-polluted groundwater, so putative DOC in pondwater cannot be mixing into the As-polluted groundwater we have sampled. Separate estimates of the degree of recharge from ponds to groundwater, using calculations based on temporal variations in salt content and isotopic composition in ponds, and salt-balance, show that insignificant amounts of As-polluted groundwater are derived via pond recharge. It follows that pondwater in the study area does not contribute significant mass to arsenic-polluted groundwater and so does not provide organic matterto aquifers in amounts sufficientto drive reduction of iron oxyhydroxides and hence arsenic pollution.     

Can degradation products be used as documentation for natural attenuation of phenoxy acids in groundwater?

In situ indicators of degradation are important tools in the demonstration of natural attenuation. A literature survey on the production history of phenoxy acids and degradation pathways has shown that metabolites of phenoxy acid herbicides also are impurities in the herbicide products, making the bare presence of these compounds useless as in situ indicators. These impurities can make up more than 30% of the herbicides. Degradation of phenoxy acids was demonstrated in microcosm experiments using groundwater and sediment contaminated with MCPP, dichlorprop, and related compounds such as other phenoxypropionic acids and chlorophenols. Field observations at two phenoxy acid-contaminated sites showed the occurrence of several impurities including metabolites in the groundwater. Neither the microcosm experiments nor the field observations verified that metabolites were actually produced or accumulated in situ. However, it was demonstrated that the impurity/parent herbicide ratios can be useful in situ indicators of degradation.     

Does wine label processing fluency influence wine hedonics?

Research from the sensory science literature reveals that product information has an influence on the hedonic taste rating. Studies from social cognitive research have shown that processing fluency influences decision-making and evaluation processes. The present field study (N = 123) applied a 2 × 2-between-subject design to explore whether the processing fluency of the label information (low versus high) or the consumption domain (everyday versus special-occasion) have an effect on the subsequent hedonic taste rating of a wine. Fluency was manipulated via an easy- or difficult-to-read font. Results showed that there was no effect of the consumption domain. However, the wine was liked more in the high-fluency condition compared to the low-fluency condition. Thus, the results indicate that a wine tastes better if the labeled visual information can be processed relatively fluently. This research therefore adds to the literature on processing fluency because it suggests that fluency transfers across modalities. To give reliable recommendations to marketing specialists and label designers, further research is required to confirm the observed findings.     

Does importance influence confidence in organic food attributes?

Previous studies have established that consumers have a significantly higher willingness to pay (WTP) for organic foods over their conventional counterparts. Not fully understood is how consumers view the importance of the required attributes of organic, how confident they are that the organic label reflects these attributes, and how these two factors interact and influence WTP. This study used non-hypothetical auction experiments to examine these issues with a sample of 128 consumers from the general population. Participants first entered their WTP for conventional and organic versions of four different foods selected in different categories (dairy, meat, vegetable) to cover the different possible organic attributes. They were then asked to rate their importance level in, and confidence of, seven required attributes of USDA organic (e.g. no synthetic pesticides, non-GM). The specific goals were to examine the relationship between importance and confidence ratings, and to determine if confidence ratings can be predicted by importance and how confidence in turn influences WTP. For the former, importance ratings for all organic attributes were found to be significantly higher than corresponding confidence ratings. Results from a simultaneous equation system then showed that higher importance ratings significantly increased confidence ratings, while higher confidence increased marginal WTP for all four organic food products. These findings suggest WTP for organic foods is more complex than typically perceived, with it relying heavily on how important consumers see each attribute and their confidence that they are really getting those attributes with their purchases.