What's really in that donut you're having at work this morning?

Food and drinks have become an interesting mix of nature and science. Knowing what’s good to eat or drink on any particular day is a “guess” at best. One day margarine is better to eat than butter, the next day butter is better. One day caffeine is bad for you, the next it’s good. Animals are being cloned. There are hormones in our meat and dairy products. Our foods are full of preservatives. What more could we ask for? Well, how about the latest ones that are being reported by Popular Science! 

Coffee’s not enough to give you the boost you need for work every morning? Try adding one of these donuts!

Robert Bohannon of Environostics, an R&D firm in North Carolina, has concocted a caffeine-laced doughnut that packs a jolt equal to two cups of coffee. Bohannon has concealed the drug in tiny, edible capsules that dissolve in your stomach, not in your mouth.

Want the flavor of juice without having to actually drink the juice?

Scientists at HortResearch in New Zealand have identified the genes in apples, kiwis and berries that encode for flavor and spliced them into microbial DNA. The modified bacteria churn out concentrated flavor chemicals identical to the natural versions. These can be added to drinks to replace the real fruit flavors that evaporate in the juicing process.

Science is actually doing something to help us too! 

Roughly three million Americans suffer from peanut allergies. Now University of Florida researchers have taken the first major step toward creating a risk-free peanut. They’ve identified a key mutation that renders one of the worst peanut- protein allergens harmless. The goal is to selectively breed the mutant peanut or engineer a hypoallergenic nut that won’t turn your face into a big red balloon.

Lots of great info like this can be found on the Popular Science website!