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Adding peanut skins to milk chocolate makes it healthier, suggests study – Yahoo Canada Shine On

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Chocolate is generally considered more of an indulgence than a health food. (Getty Images)

Good news for chocoholics – scientists may have discovered a way of making the sweet treat healthier.

Dark chocolate has long been hailed for its antioxidant properties when enjoyed in moderation, however, not everyone can get on board with its rich bitter taste.

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A team from the American Chemical Society (ACS) found adding powdered peanut skins to milk chocolate can make the indulgence more antioxidant-rich than dark varieties, without compromising its creamy flavour or light texture.

When given to a team of taste testers, more than half even preferred peanut-skin enriched milk chocolate to the ones in shops today.

The red papery skin on peanuts is often discarded, despite its health benefits. (Getty Images)

“The idea for this project began with testing different types of agricultural waste for bioactivity, particularly peanut skins,” said lead author Dr Lisa Dean.

“Our initial goal was to extract phenolics [a class of chemicals with antioxidant properties] from the skins and find a way to mix them with food.”

When peanuts are roasted to make nut butter or confectionary, their red papery skins are discarded, leading to thousands of tonnes of waste every year.

While they may not be particularly appetising, peanut skins are made up of 15% phenolic compounds.

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The scientists ground peanut skins into a powder, before extracting the phenols.

This left behind lignin and cellulose – both substances in plant cell walls – which add roughage to animal feed.

Not just focusing on peanut skins, the scientists also extracted phenols from coffee grounds and tea leaves.

The resulting powder was then combined with maltodextrin, a common food additive, to make it easier to incorporate into milk chocolate.

Different products were created, ranging from a 0.1% to 8.1% phenol concentration.

“Phenolics are very bitter, so we had to find some way to mitigate that sensation,” said Dr Dean.

When given to taste testers, the panel found concentrations of more than 0.9% were detectable, affecting the flavour or texture.

Lower concentrations led to a good compromise, however.

Results – presented at the ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo – revealed more than half of the taste testers even preferred the 0.8% phenolic milk chocolate over normal varieties, with this sample having a higher antioxidant activity than most dark chocolates.

Phenols, along with less dairy and sugar, are what give dark chocolate its bitterness.

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People who opt for dark chocolate, hoping to reap its health benefits, may also notice it is more expensive than milk varieties due to the higher cocoa content.

The scientists believe adding peanut skins to milk chocolate could give the same wellbeing boost at a fraction of the cost.

They acknowledge the risk of allergies, however, with any peanut-enriched chocolate having to be labelled as containing the common allergen.

To lessen this concern, the scientists are planning to test coffee grounds and other waste products in a similar way.

They hope to also discover whether the antioxidants in peanut skins extend the shelf life of nut butters, which can go rancid quickly due to their high fat content.

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The body of a Ugandan Olympic athlete who was set on fire by her partner is received by family

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.

Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.

She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.

Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.

“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.

It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.

Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.

Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.

Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.

“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.

He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.

Kenya’s high rates of violence against women have prompted marches by ordinary citizens in towns and cities this year.

Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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The ancient jar smashed by a 4-year-old is back on display at an Israeli museum after repair

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.

Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.

Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.

The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.

The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.

It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.

Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.

Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.

Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.

Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.

Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.

The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”

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B.C. sets up a panel on bear deaths, will review conservation officer training

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VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.

Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”

Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.

“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.

B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.

Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.

Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.

Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.

“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”

Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”

“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.

Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.

“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.

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