The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Tapioca pearls in bubble tea contain carcinogens: German study

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 08:09 PM PDT

BERLIN, Aug 30 — German health authorities and researchers have come out swinging recently against the Taiwanese drink bubble tea, warning that the popular dessert beverage presents a choking hazard to children and may contain cancer-causing chemicals.

German authorities and scientists warn that bubble tea presents a choking hazard and contains carcinogens. — AFP/Relaxnews

The warnings, released separately, come as Europe, and Germany in particular, begin to catch on to the bubble tea trend which has already swept major urban centers in North America to become a popular dessert beverage.

After analysing the tapioca balls which make up the 'bubbles' in the drink, researchers from the University Hospital Aachen, for instance, found that the pearls contained polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs such as styrene, acetophenone, and brominated substances, chemicals that shouldn't be in food at all, researchers told German paper The Local.

Samples were taken from an unnamed chain in Mönchengladbach, in northwest Germany and the tapioca balls were made in Taiwan.

The study comes on the heels of a public health warning from the country's German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment earlier this month, which warned that the tapioca balls also present a choking risk to children.

"Especially with children aged up to four years, there is a risk of foreign objects accidentally entering the lungs," said Dr. Andreas Hensel in a statement. "And that is precisely what can happen when the bubbles are sucked up through a straw."

Meanwhile, the institute says no bubble tea-related accidents have yet been reported. — AFP/Relaxnews

Bacon-flavoured coffee to be sold across North America

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:31 PM PDT

NEW YORK, Aug 30 — A bacon-flavoured coffee called "How to Win a Guy With One Sip" has won a US$10,000 (RM31,000) jackpot and the bragging rights to being recreated and sold at a popular coffee chain across the US.

Des Moines, Iowa resident Eileen Gannon beat out five other competitors with her pumpkin pie-spiced, bacon-flavoured coffee at a contest held in New York last week, where her creation was lauded as the most "imaginative drink in America."

This bacon-flavoured coffee took the top prize for being the most imaginative drink in America. — AFP/Relaxnews

The bacon-flavoured coffee will be featured at participating Seattle's Best Coffee locations across North America, which hosted the Red Cup Showdown. The Seattle's Best brand is owned by Starbucks.

Gannon, a financial adviser in Des Moines, meanwhile, is no stranger to the food contest circuit, according to local paper the Des Moines Register, which pointed out that she's a frequent blue ribbon winner at state fair contests.

Runners-up for the US$10,000 pot included a "Café Mocha en fuego," spiced with chilli powder, cinnamon and cayenne, and a raspberry-flavoured chocolate coffee.

Gannon, meanwhile, used a bacon-flavoured syrup and garnishes of candied oven-baked bacon to garnish her drink.

Studding foods with bacon seems to a recipe for success among global food brands seeking media and online attention.

Following family restaurant chain Denny's wild success with its Maple Bacon Sundae last year, Burger King likewise created a mild frenzy when it decided to launch a Bacon Sundae made with soft serve ice cream, caramel sauce and smoked bacon. — AFP/Relaxnews

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Rabu, 29 Ogos 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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