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Saturday, February 09, 2019
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM See all dates and Times
https://www.sciencehistory.org/event/the-sweet-science-of-chocolate
Humans have consumed food and beverages derived from cocoa beans for 2,500 years. Mayans and Aztecs valued the cocoa bean so highly they used it as currency, not to mention as the basis for the foamy beverage they drank in religious rites. Join us for a short history of chocolate and some fascinating perspectives on its science from Joe Vinson.
Learn how cocoa pods are harvested and fermented.
Find out about the fats, alkaloids, and 300 other chemicals at work in your dried and roasted cocoa beans.
Get the inside scoop on how chocolate affects our health and whether it’s truly an aphrodisiac.
Bring your valentine for a tasty visit that will have you making informed decisions about which chocolate to buy and how much to consume.
About the Speaker
Joe Vinson, an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton, is best known for his work with chocolate, tea, coffee, grape juice, cranberry juice, popcorn, and marijuana. His current research interests include the effect of foods, vitamins, and antioxidants on nutrition and health.
Vinson was born in Arkansas and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, attending the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley he received a BS in chemistry and later, at Iowa State University, received a joint PhD in physical organic chemistry and analytical chemistry. There he also worked at the famous Atomic Energy Commission’s Ames Lab. Vinson is the author of over 100 publications and has been featured on ABC Good Morning America Sunday and National Public Radio. For the last 40 years he has been a National Tour Speaker for the American Chemical Society.
Learn how cocoa pods are harvested and fermented.
Find out about the fats, alkaloids, and 300 other chemicals at work in your dried and roasted cocoa beans.
Get the inside scoop on how chocolate affects our health and whether it’s truly an aphrodisiac.
Bring your valentine for a tasty visit that will have you making informed decisions about which chocolate to buy and how much to consume.
About the Speaker
Joe Vinson, an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton, is best known for his work with chocolate, tea, coffee, grape juice, cranberry juice, popcorn, and marijuana. His current research interests include the effect of foods, vitamins, and antioxidants on nutrition and health.
Vinson was born in Arkansas and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, attending the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley he received a BS in chemistry and later, at Iowa State University, received a joint PhD in physical organic chemistry and analytical chemistry. There he also worked at the famous Atomic Energy Commission’s Ames Lab. Vinson is the author of over 100 publications and has been featured on ABC Good Morning America Sunday and National Public Radio. For the last 40 years he has been a National Tour Speaker for the American Chemical Society.
