Mental Floss

FOOD SCIENCE

No need to be skeeved out.

Why does lettuce turn pink? Contrary to what you might think, it’s not because bacteria has taken over.

Ellen Gutoskey
Over the course of its history, chocolate has gone from a sacred beverage to a sweet treat.

Chocolate’s worldwide popularity streak has lasted centuries, but it wasn’t always the sweet, easily accessible treat we know today.

Michele Debczak




He's a little lukewarm about baths in general.

If you’re talking yeast activation or baby bath temperatures, ‘lukewarm’ might be more specific than “not hot or cold.”

Ellen Gutoskey


Honey can last pretty much forever.

Honey can spend years in a pantry without spoiling because bees are very diligent when it comes to food safety.

Jake Rossen


The bull is just part of the logo, not the drink.

The caffeine in Red Bull can compete with your morning coffee, and Red Bull’s taurine has nothing to do with an actual bull.

Ellen Gutoskey




Photo by Vaibhav Jadhav from Pexels

When your bread dough doubles in size overnight, you have a hard-working team of microorganisms to thank.

Michele Debczak




Natissima/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Bananas are a great food to have around, but unfortunately they can go bad quite quickly. These simple hacks will keep them fresh for longer.

Erin McCarthy