Compound Interest

Brussels sprouts and Finnish lanttulaatikko feature in day 5 of #ChemAdvent. Their chemical connection is glucosinolates, bitter compounds in sprouts and swedes.

Genetic variations in people affect the perception of this bitterness – so if you're not a sprouts fan, that could be why!

Dec 5 at 9:44amWeb
Show threadSepia FanDec 5

@compoundchem

#TeamRosenkohl 🤤

Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Dec 5
@compoundchem Perhaps it is a mistake, but these images are missing alt text & image description for accessibility. #DIsabledAndSTEM
Show threadCompound InterestDec 5
@ml hmm, may be the new scheduling app I’m using – it does say it does alt text and I added it so not sure why it’s not showing here. Will look into it – I need to use a scheduling app because of the number of platforms these days but tried to pick one that supported alt text so annoying if it’s not working here
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Dec 5

@compoundchem Thanks. I know you were creating alt text & image description before so I figured you might not know this had gone out without it.

I hope the developer is responsive.

Show threadCompound InterestDec 5
@ml appreciate you pointing it out! I’m still on the free trial of the current one I’m using so may just switch to another if alt-text support isn’t in place for all platforms.
Show threadTirrimas  🚫👑Dec 5
@compoundchem I read "swede" and thought "person", not "vegetable".
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Dec 6

@compoundchem #AltText4You "Brussels sprouts and isothiocyanates" Illustration of Brussels sprouts as well as chemical structures of Sinigrin and Isothiocyanate showing C, O, N, K, and R groups.

"Brussels sprouts contain high levels of glucosinolate compounds, such as sinigrin and progoitrin. These are"

Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Dec 6
@compoundchem "broken down into several compounds when the tissue of the sprouts is damaged, including isothiocyanates, which contribute to the bitterness of sprouts. Studies suggest sensitivity to this bitterness may have a genetic component." #AltText4You
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Dec 6
@compoundchem "Finland: Lanttulaatikko" Photos of swede (UK) (rutabega [US]) and an overhead view of a casserole dish between them. "Lanttulaatikko is a swede casserole served as a traditional Christmas side dish in Finland. Swedes are in the same cruciferous family of vegetables as brussels sprouts, and like sprouts they contain bitter glucosinolate compounds. Breakdown of glucosinolates during cooking produces isothiocyanate and nitrile compounds which contribute to swede flavour and aroma."
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)Dec 6
@compoundchem Depicted are the chemical structures of Progoltrin (a glucosinolate), 2-phenylethylisothiocyanate, and 3-phenylpropanenitrile, showing C, O, N, S and H. [This is where image description by the poster could be more helpful...I am not a chemist so I don't dare describe the structure for fear of error]. #alttext4You