Baking Chemistry

 Even if you might not consider chemistry when baking a cake, the procedure is undoubtedly founded in chemistry. Regardless of the type of food you bake, the basic ingredients are involved in a number of chemical processes that combine various materials to create the finished product.

Baking is undoubtedly a more specialized kind of food manufacturing than other, more well-known ones. However, 82% of all meals in the United States are prepared at home, and a sizable proportion of these necessitate the use of an oven or other dry heating gear, according to data by the National Purchase Diary Panel (NPD). This routine cooking technique takes a lot of effort and preparation to carry out.

Baking is chemically based since it depends on the interactions of different chemicals in ingredients. The science of baking can be reduced to a series of chemical processes. The definition of a chemical reaction, also known as a chemical change, is "a process in which one or more chemicals transform into new substances" (Buthelezi 1010). Protein binding, leavening, Maillard reactions, and caramelization are the four main reactions in baking (Baker).

Maillard Reactions

When proteins and carbohydrates are broken down and rearranged by high temperatures, Maillard reactions take place. These proteins and sugars can be obtained from flour alone or can be improved by adding eggs and sweets. The processes generate organic chemicals in the form of rings, which darken the surface of baked dough. Toasty and savory smells and flavor chemicals are also produced via Maillard reactions. Additionally, these substances interact with one another, creating even more intricate flavors and fragrances.

Agent of leavening

Baking powder's primary function is as a leavening agent. To add volume and lighten the texture of baked goods, a mixture of carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid is utilized. A substitute that can be used similarly is baking soda, which is also known to most people. In particular, when you're prepared to start baking and discover you're out of baking powder. But the chemistry that underlies it differs. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, combines with the acidic ingredients in batters to release carbon dioxide, which causes the batter to expand and give it its distinctive texture and grain. Sodium bicarbonate is frequently mixed with calcium acid phosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, or cream of tartar in baking powder formulations. 

By enlarging the air bubbles introduced into batters and dough by mixing, beating, whipping, stirring, and kneading, all chemical leaveners elevate and aerate them. The gluten structure generated in the batter traps these millions of bubbles, which are then inflated by the leavener when it is either activated by moisture or heat. To obtain a neutral pH, you typically want to balance the leavening system.

Protein fusion

Glutenin and gliadin, two proteins contained in flour, are used in baking to form protein bonds. When water is added to flour, as when forming the dough, these two proteins unite to form a link. Gluten is created when these two proteins bind to one another (Baker). Gluten will change into a thick, gooey, and elastic substance when used to make dough from wheat flour and water. As a result, the dough will be able to rise to many times its initial height and develop a light texture. So gluten is a key ingredient in baked goods because it gives the proper structure.

Caramelization flavors

The final chemical reaction to take place during baking is caramelization, which happens at around 356 degrees Fahrenheit. High heat triggers the reaction, which results in the release of water that condenses into steam as sugar molecules disintegrate. The early phases of caramelization result in the production of diacetyl, which gives butterscotch-flavored caramel its flavor. The next step is the production of rum-like esters and lactones. Last but not least, the creation of furan molecules results in a nutty flavor, while the creation of the molecule maltol results in a toasted flavor.

Love-Hormone-Chemistry

 “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.” – Pablo Neruda

One can define love as a set of feelings and actions emphasizing intimacy, passion, and commitment. It entails tenderness, proximity, safety, attraction, affection, and trust. Love has different levels of intensity and can evolve over time. It can lead to bad emotions like jealousy and stress, but it is also linked to a variety of positive emotions like happiness, enthusiasm, life satisfaction, and bliss. Here we will discuss love from the Hormonal (chemical) perspective. 

The brain's hypothalamus, which promotes the production of the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen from the testes and ovaries, is crucial in the feelings of love. Although both substances are frequently perceived as being "male" or "feminine," they both affect both men and women. As it turns out, almost everyone's libido is increased by testosterone. While higher estrogen level has a milder effect, some women claim that it increases their desire for sexual activity around the time of ovulation.

According to Fisher, dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, and estrogen are among the "chemical families" to which we all belong. People are drawn to partners whose personalities complement their own. A high-estrogen individual might be attracted to a high-testosterone type, for example.

The three stages of falling in love are distinct. Our bodies' levels of testosterone (for men) and estrogen (for women) are what fuel the initial emotion, lust. The second emotion, attraction, has a similar high to the addictive high that comes from some drugs or alcohol. The last stage is attachment, during which you could start to feel particularly connected and start formulating long-term plans.

Stage 1: The amounts of testosterone (in men) and estrogen (in women) in our bodies are what cause lust. This is similar to other terrestrial mammals in many ways. The need for sexual fulfillment is what fuels lust. This has an evolutionary basis in our need to procreate, a need that all living things share. By reproducing, organisms pass on their genes and help to maintain the genetic diversity of their species.

Stage 2: The feeling of attraction is comparable to that of the effects of some medications or alcohol. Falling in love can feel like an addictive thrill due to the feeling of euphoria and the release of a variety of chemicals in the brain, including dopamine (pleasure), adrenaline (fight or flight), and norepinephrine (alertness). When you first meet someone you like, adrenaline in particular causes your heart to accelerate, your palms to become clammy, and your cheeks to flush.

Dopamine

Dopamine is a particularly well-known participant in the brain's reward system and is released by the hypothalamus when we perform actions that make us feel good. In this instance, these activities include having sex and spending time with loved ones. During attraction, significant amounts of dopamine and the associated hormone norepinephrine are released. You can genuinely be so "in love" that you can't eat or sleep since these chemicals make us joyful, energetic, and euphoric, as well as causing decreased appetite and insomnia. Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenalin, is a substance that may seem familiar to you because it is a key component of the fight-or-flight response, which ramps up when we are under stress and keeps us alert. When people are shown a picture of someone they are strongly attracted to, as opposed to when they are shown a picture of someone they feel neutral towards, the brain's key "reward" areas, such as the ventral tegmental area and the caudate nucleus, fire like crazy. Finally, serotonin, a hormone known to affect hunger and mood, appears to decrease in response to attraction. Interestingly, obsessive-compulsive disorder patients also have low serotonin levels, which has led researchers to hypothesize that this is what explains the overwhelming infatuation that defines the early phases of love.

Stage 3: The production of oxytocin (the "cuddle" hormone), which occurs during Stage 3 of attachment, replaces dopamine and norepinephrine. At this point, you may start to feel particularly connected to one another and begin forming long-term plans.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is frequently referred to as the "cuddle hormone." The hypothalamus also produces oxytocin, which is released in high amounts during intercourse, lactation, and childbirth. The fact that each of these events serves as a prelude to bonding may seem to make this seem like a rather odd collection of activities, not all of which are really joyful. It also demonstrates the significance of keeping attachment, lust, and attraction in their own domains: although we are attached to our close family, those other feelings have no place in that environment.

Love has the power to be both good and bad for you; it has the power to wake us up in the morning or make us never want to get up again. Even if I kept you here for another ten thousand pages, I'm not sure I could describe "love" for you. Everyone has the ability to determine what love is for themselves in the end. And if it's just hormones, for better or worse, maybe we can all have "chemistry" with just about anyone. But it's still up to the rest of you whether it progresses or not. Lastly, let's end with Nicholas Sparks quotation: "Love is like the wind; you can't see it, but you can feel it."