Facts

  • Drivingforfun's Avatar
    I just learnt that the WD40 formula was never patented when it was invented, as patenting involved disclosing the details in exchange for a period of protection, after which anyone was free to copy it. They decided to take the risk and keep it a secret, with the long term view that they'd be selling it well after the patent would have expired

    Does anyone have any interesting facts?
  • 7 Replies

  • olduser's Avatar
    Cadburys Chocolate has 1% salt added.
    This enhances the chocolate flavour enabling them to use less cocoa solid.
  • roxanne41watts's Avatar
    That's a fascinating tidbit about WD-40! Here's an interesting fact for you:

    Did you know that the Eiffel Tower can be 15 cm (6 inches) taller during the summer? This is because the iron structure expands in the heat. The tower’s height is influenced by temperature changes, demonstrating how even monumental structures can be affected by the natural environment Learn more
  • Drivingforfun's Avatar
    1% seems a lot, Olduser... I can plough through a 200g bar if I start on one, that must be using up my RDA of salt as I know the allowance isn't that high
  • Beelzebub's Avatar
    Cadburys Chocolate has 1% salt added.
    This enhances the chocolate flavour enabling them to use less cocoa solid.

    Decimal point error. An 180g bar of Dairy Milk contains 0.24g of salt, so it's only 0.13%.

    (It's too cold to go out, and I'm bored.)
  • olduser's Avatar
    I can see the problem, I miss read the column headings on the nutrition table Cadburys say there is 0.24 grams of Sodium (= about 0.61 grams Salt) / 100 grams of chocolate which they say is 1% of the Recommended daily amount of Sodium.

    Typical Values per 100g 1 portion = 6 chunks (27 % 1 portion = 6 chunks (27
    Energy 2232 kJ 613 kJ 7 %
    534 kcal 147kcal 7 %
    Total Fat 30.00 g 8.40 g 12 %
    Saturated Fat 18.00 g 5.10 g 26 %
    Available Carbohydrate 57.00 g 16.00 g 6 %
    Dietary Fiber (EC definition) 2.10 g 0.50 g
    Total Sugars 56.00 g 15.00 g 17 %
    Protein 7.30 g 2.00 g 4 %
    Equivalent As Salt *to Sodium 0.24 g 0.07 g 1 %

    Ingredients
    Ingredients
    MILK**, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifiers (E442, E476), flavourings. **The equivalent of 426 ml of fresh liquid milk in every 227 g of milk chocolate. Milk Solids 20 % Minimum, Actual 23 %. Cocoa Solids 20 % Minimum. Contains Vegetable Fats In Addition To Cocoa Butter., MAY CONTAIN NUTS, WHEAT.

    Yes, it is cold here to...
  • olduser's Avatar
    1% seems a lot, Olduser... I can plough through a 200g bar if I start on one, that must be using up my RDA of salt as I know the allowance isn't that high

    The RDA for salt is a bit confused, some literature suggest 1 teaspoon (6 gram) whilst others suggest 2,300 mg (= 2.3 g) and the body uses about 500 mg per day (0.5g).
    Of course the body needs the Sodium part of salt (Salt is sodium chloride), if I have remembered school chemistry Sodium Chloride is about 39.3 % Sodium, food manufacturers are talking about Sodium when they mean Salt because the Sodium number is lower than the Salt.

    Because our, 'natural' diet vegetable matter, grains, fruit, roots, and very little meat, there would be some Sodium in the blood of meat but not sufficient, and we must have sufficient Sodium or we will die.
    To combat this, like Elephants do today, we found Salt licks, rocks or soil rich in salt and ate that when we could
    Evolution has left us then with a desire for salt (also sugar, and fat), when you can find it eat it.

    Fast forward to today, food manufactures know we are suckers for salt, sugar, and fat.
    So to be a winner all they have to do is incorporate any or all of these three into food and we will want it.

    Of our 6g of salt/day 4g to 5g will come from pre-processed food.

    The biggest problem with too much salt is hardening of the arteries, causing high blood pressure, and making the hearts job much harder.

    Blood vessels have a wall made of muscle making them flexible, so when the heart squeezes the blood out at each pulse, the blood vessels expand and absorb the pressure thus reducing the peek pressure on the heart, there are other functions for these muscles but this particular effect helps the heart.

    With a healthy body, if we have too much salt our Kidneys step in to control the amount retained.

    Kidneys detect high salt.
    Kidneys release a hormone to make you thirsty, and stop passing water.
    Water levels will rise.
    Kidneys restart passing water (now a solution of salt and water)
    When the salt levels fall to acceptable levels, Kidneys stop the, 'thirst' hormone and continue to bring water back to normal.

    (Why should I know this?
    I have Kidney failure, so I have to know...)

    But in modern life having to go for lots of pee's is inconvenient, so we override the protection system, ignore the thirst signal, we end up going for long periods with high salt levels doing damage, and blaming stress for high blood pressure.

    You might find it interesting to watch this years Faraday's Lectures, "The Truth About Food" on BBC iPLayer, I think they were on BBC 1 if not BBC 2 but they can be found using the Search function.