Let's have a barbecue on May Day. Let's take a look at some interesting facts about barbecue.

As the weather warms up

The barbecue industry is gradually becoming hot

Most importantly

The May Day holiday is here!

You can sit on the street and eat skewers

Experience the atmosphere of human life

During this period

I believe everyone has been flooded with Zibo barbecue

Do you have any plans to camp and have a barbecue on May Day?

Let’s learn about the scientific knowledge of barbecue today

Eat barbecue scientifically this summer!

Speaking of skewers

How can we do without meat?

So, how to choose meat scientifically?

When is meat best to eat?

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Many people believe that the meat of an animal is most delicious right after it is slaughtered. However, the meat is least delicious right after it is slaughtered. The lactic acid content of the meat is the highest at this stage, and the pH value is 5.4 to 6.7. When the pH reaches 5.4, the muscle fibers of the animal will harden and become stiff.

Rigor mortis occurs in beef about 2.5 hours after slaughter, while rigor mortis occurs in lamb, pork, and chicken about 1 hour after slaughter. The meat tastes bad and has an unpleasant odor.

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After the rigor mortis stage, the meat begins to ripen, also known as meat aging. Meat in the ripening stage is the most suitable for eating. At this time, the pH of the meat drops further, and the enzymes that digest protein in the muscle fibers will break down the protein tissue in the muscle, weakening the overall muscle structure and softening the meat.

Enzymes break down proteins into flavorful amino acids, convert glycogen into sweet glucose, convert adenosine triphosphate into delicious inosine monophosphate, and convert fat into aromatic fatty acids. This series of reactions gives the meat in the ripening stage a rich meaty and nutty flavor, and makes it soft and juicy.

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The meat after slaughter can generally be matured after 1 to 3 days at 4 ℃. The higher the temperature, the faster it will mature. However, if the time is too long, it will enter the next stage that is unsuitable for consumption, which is the autolysis stage. Once the meat begins to autolyze, it means that it has gradually entered the process of deterioration.

When eating skewers, I believe everyone has had the experience of being unable to open their eyes due to the smoke, and it seems that the smoke drifts wherever you sit. Why is this?

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First, we can think of smoke as a collection of incompletely burned particles (including solid particles, small droplets, and gases) when combustibles (such as wood) burn. Combustion releases a lot of heat, and nearby air molecules absorb the heat and begin to move faster.

Molecules move quickly after absorbing heat. Image source: science news

As the air around the flame begins to heat up, the heated air molecules closer to the flame have greater kinetic energy and collide with their slower-moving neighbor molecules farther away, sending them off into the opposite direction of motion.

As a result, a space will be vacated near the flame, allowing the hot air near the heat source to continue to expand. This series of events causes the air density near the flame to be lower than the surrounding air density a little further away from it.

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At this point, you can recall that in the winter, the higher floors of a building generally feel warmer than the lower floors. This is because cold air is denser than warm air, so it stays at the bottom, while warm air rises.

But during the grilling process, the rising air doesn't just rise by itself, it is also pushed by the surrounding air, because when the hot air moves away from the fire, the air pushing it continues to move forward and fills the gap left by the hot air. And the position where we sit is hindering the normal air flow in the area where we are.

Image source: Wonder Why, compiled by: Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Therefore, the smoke from the burning fire will begin to move in the direction of the low pressure area, which is the air in the opposite direction of us, and will come straight towards us, bringing any smoke or soot from the fire with it.

So no matter where we move, it is useless because wherever we move, we will block the air in that direction, making it feel like the smoke is always following us.

Image source: Wonder Why, compiled by: Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Ever since we were little, have you ever heard your parents say that "eating too much barbecue is bad for your health"? This seems to be a well-known "common sense", but why is it bad? What are the harms?

Barbecue is bad for the body because it contains benzopyrene , a carcinogen recognized by the World Health Organization. Pollution during food processing, asphalt pollution, packaging material pollution, and environmental pollution are the main sources of benzopyrene compounds in food.

In addition, kitchen fumes, burnt meat and fish, and over-fried meat and fish in daily life may produce benzopyrene.

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In this regard, the Hangzhou Municipal Market Supervision Bureau conducted an experiment with experts from Zhejiang University. The experiment proved that the baking temperature has a direct impact on the level of benzopyrene in barbecued food, and the longer the baking time, the higher the benzopyrene content.

Source: Metropolis Express

Therefore, for the sake of health, we should try to choose electric grilling and improve the processing method. Pay attention to the heat when grilling skewers, and eat them after they are cooked. Don't deliberately pursue the aroma of meat after being burnt. It is not recommended to cook at high temperatures or grill food directly on charcoal fire.

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Secondly, we should pay attention to a balanced and diverse diet . It is best to eat barbecued meat with fresh fruits and vegetables. Because fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, they can help alleviate the harm of eating barbecued meat to the body and play a certain role in cleaning the intestines.

Source: Science Popularization China, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

People's Daily, Metropolis Express

Compiled by: Dong Xiaoxian

Editor: Guru