Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
In a type of mold called Aspergillus niger, turning off a specific gene (AnGal4) makes it produce a lot more of a toxin called ochratoxin A—especially when it's fed arabinose sugar.
In a certain mold used in industry, sugar sources like sucrose, glucose, and especially arabinose make it produce a toxin called ochratoxin A, but a protein-based nutrient called peptone stops the toxin from being made at all.
Adding sugar to a milk protein called beta-lactoglobulin changes its 3D shape when heated in water, and we can see this change using special light-based tools.
Adding sugar to a protein called lactoferrin might help it survive longer in lab tests because the sugar changes its shape and makes it harder to break down.
Adding sugar to milk proteins like casein and beta-lactoglobulin doesn't seem to stop certain digestive enzymes from breaking them down in lab tests.
When milk proteins get a sugar tag called lactosylation, they become harder for a specific enzyme to break down in lab tests — especially proteins like beta-lactoglobulin and lactoferrin, probably because the sugar sticks to the same spots the enzyme normally cuts.
Hemoglobin made in genetically modified pigs works just like human hemoglobin without needing lab chemicals to fix it, but when it's made in bacteria or yeast, it does need extra chemical tweaks to work right.
Scientists made special pigs with human hemoglobin genes, and those pigs can actually make working human-like blood that carries oxygen and responds to body signals just like ours.
Hemoglobin made in genetically modified pigs works just like the real thing from humans — it's built right, behaves the same, and carries oxygen the way it should, no lab fixes needed.
The lab-made version of a cheese-making enzyme works better in more acidic conditions than the natural one, so it might perform better when making certain types of cheese.
The lab-made version of a cheese-making enzyme works just like the natural one — it works best at the same temperature and acidity, and reacts the same way to common blockers, so it should do the same job in making cheese.
When scientists grow a special yeast to make a milk-curdling enzyme, keeping the acidity just right and feeding it sugar (glucose) helps it produce way more of the enzyme—up to 73% more than if they don’t control the acidity.
Switching a genetic 'on switch' in yeast bacteria helps make a key cheese-making enzyme twice as fast, without needing to add a special chemical, making the process easier and more efficient.
Putting a glowing tag on a cheese-making enzyme in yeast seems to make it work better — scientists saw almost twice as much enzyme activity when they added the tag.
A specific spot on a milk protein might help an enzyme work better by sticking to it with a kind of molecular magnetism.
Changing one specific building block (histidine) in a lab-made milk protein makes it harder for an enzyme to cut it, which suggests that spot is important for the enzyme to recognize its target.
In a specific part of a milk protein, both the histidine and proline building blocks help an enzyme called chymosin do its job in lab tests, and neither one is more important than the others.
In milk protein, certain 'Pro' building blocks act like tiny braces that hold the protein in the right shape so an enzyme can cut it cleanly at a specific spot in a lab setting.
Some specific parts of a milk protein help it stick in the right spot on an enzyme, making it easier to cut and activate in lab tests.
The enzyme in cheese-making cuts a very specific spot in milk protein to make it curdle, and that precise cut is what helps turn milk into cheese.
Chymosin is a special enzyme found in baby calves' stomachs that helps curdle milk, and it has strong chemical links that might help it keep its shape and do its job well.
Adding a few extra pieces to a milk protein fragment makes it work way better with an enzyme, because the enzyme grabs onto it more tightly.
Scientists found two tiny pieces of a milk protein, and one of them works better than the other when interacting with an enzyme used in cheese-making because it's easier for the enzyme to grab onto it.
Most of the clotting power in calf rennet comes from one enzyme called chymosin — about 95% — so it's the main player in turning milk into cheese.