Device created for ‘red wine headache’ — or, more accurately, for detecting the compounds that cause red-wine headaches:
Chemists working with NASA-funded technology designed to find life on Mars have created a device they say can easily detect chemicals that many scientists believe can turn wine and other beloved indulgences into ingredients for agony.The chemicals, called biogenic amines, occur naturally in a wide variety of aged, pickled and fermented foods prized by gourmet palates, including wine, chocolate, cheese, olives, nuts and cured meats.
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The prototype — the size of a small briefcase — uses a drop of wine to determine amine levels in five minutes, Mathies said. A startup company he co-founded is working to create a smaller device the size of a personal digital assistant that people could take to restaurants and test their favorite wines.The researchers found the highest amine levels in red wine and sake and the lowest in beer. For now, the device only works with liquids.
Mathies suggests the device could be used to put amine levels on wine labels.