The secret of mocha coffee: the magical effect of an anesthetic gas bomb!

A few days ago, the circle of friends in Changsha was flooded with the unfamiliar "nitrous oxide". The reason was that a milk tea shop called "Cha Yan Yue Se" was sealed off by the local food and drug department for operating without a license and illegally adding "nitrous oxide".

What is this? Is it poisonous? What is it added for?

[Can't help laughing]

Nitrous oxide is also called dinitrogen monoxide, and its molecular formula is N2O.

It is a colorless, transparent gas with a faint sweet smell. It was first discovered by British chemists in the late 18th century.

Because inhaling it can make people laugh, it is named laughing gas.

In martial arts novels, the mysterious poison that can make people laugh uncontrollably after being poisoned was inspired by it.

In racing games or movies, nitrous acceleration is the most exciting plot. The nitrogen here refers to nitrous oxide.

It is also a commonly used booster in aerospace and was used in the Air Force as early as World War II.

【Cream Assistant】

In the food industry, nitrous oxide can be used as a food additive, but since it is classified as a processing aid, it cannot be consumed directly.

Its main function is to act as a booster and foaming agent, and is used in cream processing. (Note: In the past, it was only allowed to be used in vegetable cream, and in 2015, animal cream was added)

Friends who have drunk mocha coffee should have a deep memory of the soft cream, right?

If you put the cream directly on top of the coffee, it will sink quickly.

You may be wondering, since cream is lighter than water, it should float on top, right?

Simply put, if you use cream directly, it will be like an iceberg, and most of it will sink in the water.

As a result of the compressed gas treatment, the cream has more volume, it floats better and is easier to shape.

After testing by volunteers, the cream whipped with nitrous oxide had a good taste and texture.

Why not use other gases, such as compressed air, compressed carbon dioxide, etc.

On the one hand, it is a cost consideration, and on the other hand, it is because of the taste. For example, using carbon dioxide will make the cream taste sour.

【Gas Bullet】

Laughing gas for industrial or medical use comes in steel cylinders, while the laughing gas used in coffee shops comes in miniature steel cylinders.

It looks like a smooth bullet, about 6 centimeters long, and contains about 8 grams of compressed nitrous oxide.

When using the gas cartridge, you need to use a cream gun, which looks like a thermos cup with two protruding parts on it, one for installing the gas cartridge and the other for squeezing out the cream. The principle is similar to that of foamy mousse.

The milk tea shop mentioned in the previous article that was sealed off probably used it to process cream, but the merchant was unable to explain the supply channel and was operating without a license, so it was sealed off.

You may ask, why didn’t I laugh out loud after eating the cream?

This is partly because relatively little nitrous oxide is used, but more importantly, the nitrous oxide beaten into the cream will quickly diffuse into the surrounding air, leaving no trace.

Even in the busiest coffee shop, the concentration of nitrous oxide in the air is far from enough to make you laugh out loud.

【Abuse is harmful】

In addition to making people laugh, nitrous oxide can also make people forget pain, so it is often used for surgical anesthesia, especially dental surgery and painless childbirth.

Laughing gas can bring a certain sense of euphoria and is not highly addictive, so it is gradually becoming popular among young people in Europe and the United States.

The most common form is to fill a balloon and inhale it (commonly known as blowing a balloon), while some people inhale it directly with a cream gun. Some people inhale dozens or even hundreds of gas cartridges a night.

Since countries have not yet included it in the list of new drugs, the crackdown is not strong enough.

In recent years, this trend has spread to the country, and laughing gas bombs that were supposed to be used to make cream are secretly traded in some nightclubs and bars.

Young people only want to feel good for a short time and do not know that nitrous oxide also has side effects, such as causing hypoxia reactions, such as headaches, palpitations, nausea, etc.

At the same time, it can also cause vasodilation, induce heart disease, and in severe cases lead to death.

According to media reports, 17 teenagers in the UK died from overdose of nitrous oxide between 2006 and 2012.

In addition, long-term inhalation can affect the central nervous system, causing memory loss and even psychological addiction symptoms.