"intestines" news and stories

"Oh no! We're running out of intestines!" That's basically what the Swiss Meat Association is saying. The favorite sausage of Switzerland, the cervelat, is encased in cow's intestines, preferably from Brazilian cows. And though Switzerland is not part of the EU, the country follows those rules when it comes to trade and food regulations. Turns out the EU has curbed imports of Brazilian cows/parts due to BSE (mad cow) fears.

Supplies of the intestines used to make the Swiss delicacy are projected to run out in the summer, just when football (soccer) fans from all over Europe arrive for the Euro 2008 Championship. A "Task Force Cervelat" has been put together with scientists, bureaucrats, and industry insiders in order to try to solve the problem. Everyone agrees it will take some time for the EU regulators to make any changes. The task force is even looking into getting cow intestines from other sources, though no one wants that.

Generally, about 160 million cervelat sausages get eaten in Switzerland each year. Unfortunately, if the Task Force Cervelat doesn't come up with any answers, that number may be reduced this year. What will they eat at football games?

[Via ColdMud.com]

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Many people love beans and they are a staple in the diet of hundreds of thousands of people all across the globe. The problem with beans is that they can have unwanted social side effects, like farting. Scientists in Venezuela have been working furiously, trying to eliminate or reduce this problem and have finally come up with a solution.

Farting is the end result of a process that begins when the soluble fiber in beans, not already broken down in the small intestine, is broken down by the large intestine. They found that adding two strains of bacteria, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, to the beans, reduced soluble fiber by 60% and lowered the level of another gas-causing compound known as raffinose by 88%. This means that there were fewer farts. It also increased the insoluble fiber in the beans by almost 10%, adding more nutritional value of the beans, in addition to uncovering the root of a social problem.

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