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It doesn’t matter whether you wash the laundry at 30 or 40 degrees? No – because lower temperatures not only save energy and costs. You also have another advantage. How big is the difference really?

Washing at low temperatures: what about cleanliness?

As far as washing the laundry is concerned, many fall into a certain routine after a while – and then always wash at the usual number of degrees. At first glance, the difference between 30 and 40 degrees sounds very small; after all, it is just 10 degrees more that are generated in your washing machine. However, these 10 degrees are by no means low for the washing machine: it requires almost twice the energy if it has to bring the temperature to a full 40 instead of just 30 degrees.

The worry that the laundry won’t get really clean or isn’t hygienic if you wash it at lower temperatures is usually unfounded. Washing machine technology is so advanced today that laundry can be cleaned at just 20 degrees. A so-called hot wash (a wash cycle that can heat up to 90 degrees) is only necessary in the case of contagious diseases or a special need for hygiene – according to the Stiftung Warentest.

If you want to be on the safe side that the laundry is completely germ-free even at 30 degrees, you should let it dry in the fresh air if possible. Here, the sun kills various germs with the help of UV radiation.

Focus on costs and the environment

When comparing the washing temperatures, it can be seen that there is no noticeable difference in the cleaning effect.
However, if you take a look at power consumption and the environment, you can see some significant differences:

If you normally wash at 60 degrees and now turn it down to 40 degrees, about 50 percent of the electricity costs are saved
If you calculate this down from 60 to 30 degrees, you save as much as 67 percent.
Depending on the electricity provider, you save around 40 euros if you wash about three times a week. It is therefore worth switching to lower temperatures.
You are also doing something good for the environment, as the lower energy consumption and CO2 emissions can only be reduced by washing at lower temperatures; and by up to 35 percent. The Federal Environment Agency recommends: Washing permanently at the lowest possible temperature and only choosing a program at 60 degrees once a month to prevent the growth of germs in the washing machine. For example, bedding or towels should be washed.

Conclusion: washing at low temperatures – so what’s the point?

Unless you have an illness or other reason that makes you forced to do a hot wash, try to do a hot wash only once a month. You don’t lose anything when it comes to cleanliness: Today’s washing machine technology and detergents ensure clean laundry even at low temperatures.

If you wash at low temperatures, this offers advantages for you and the environment. On the one hand you can save money in the long run, on the other hand you also help to reduce CO2 emissions. In summary, there are no disadvantages for you if you wash at low temperatures.

The initial question as to whether it makes a difference to wash laundry at 30 or 40 degrees can therefore be answered in the affirmative. There is no noticeable difference in terms of cleanliness, but all the more so in terms of the environment and the costs involved.

Bees suck the nectar from flowers and make honey, right? Not quite. Forest honey is not obtained from flower nectar, but from honeydew. In this guide you will find out what it is and how forest honey is produced.

Forest honey does not consist of flower nectar

In general, honey is divided into blossom honey and honeydew honey, which is also called forest honey.

While blossom honey mainly consists of blossom nectar, the bees collect the so-called honeydew for forest honey.
Honeydew is a sugary substance and is excreted by plant-sucking insects, particularly plant lice. They feed on the sap of various deciduous and coniferous trees.
The name forest honey comes from the fact that honeydew is mainly found on forest trees such as spruce, oak and fir.

Forest honey and blossom honey – differences in detail

In addition, honeydew and forest honey differ from blossom honey in a number of aspects:
Appearance: Forest honey is dark in colour, blossom honey is (depending on the variety) significantly lighter.
Taste: Compared to blossom honey, forest honey tastes stronger, somewhat spicy and tart, often with a malty note.
Consistency: Forest honey often has a firmer consistency, but stays liquid longer than blossom honey.
Constituents: Forest honey contains less glucose and fructose than blossom honey. Instead, it is 25 to 55 percent sucrose. In addition, forest honey provides more minerals and trace elements than blossom honey, according to the Bavarian consumer advice center.
Health: Since forest honey contains more minerals and trace elements, but also essential oils, it is generally considered to be the healthier honey. However, an Austrian study from 2007 showed that free radicals in the body are bound better with blossom honey than with forest honey.

Fir honey – a special forest honey

A real rarity is fir honey, which is also a honeydew honey. The honeydew is extracted from silver fir trees. The colors of the honey can range from dark brown to green-black, while the taste has an unmistakable note of fir. This honey is particularly rich in healthy essential oils, which is why it is considered a good home remedy for bronchial diseases.

Honey not only belongs on the breakfast table, but is also used in medicine. But what is the difference between medicinal and regular honey? And what is it used for?

What are the differences between medicinal and conventional honey?

In order to be able to use honey for medical purposes, it is freed from the germs it contains by various processes. These are the differences between medicinal and conventional honey:
Medicinal honey is mainly used to heal wounds. Scientists found that the methylglyoxal contained in honey has an antibacterial effect.
Essentially, medicinal honey consists of a variety with a high content of hydrogen peroxide and New Zealand Manuka honey, the ingredients of which are largely obtained from the tea tree.
Sterility: In food, pathogens are rendered harmless during digestion. However, if germs get into a wound, they multiply and inflammation occurs. That is why medicinal honey must be as germ-free as possible.

Medicinal honey: miracle cure for wound healing

Medicinal honey is used in particular in the field of wound healing. This is how honey acts on the wound:
Wound protection: Medicinal honey protects the wound from bacteria.
Wound cleaning: The honey keeps the wound moist and cleans it.
Wound healing: This is how the miracle cure accelerates the healing process.
Smell: The agent also has a positive effect on the smell.
Pain relief at dressing changes: Changing your dressing will usually cause you less pain if you have previously used medicinal honey on your wound.

Medicinal Honey: This is where you can use it

You can apply medicinal honey to everything from small cuts to large-scale wounds. Here is a small selection of possible areas of application:

Acute and chronic wounds
burns
cuts and abrasions
Poorly healing or smelling wounds
surgical wounds

Medicinal honey: It really is that ecological

Medicinal honey is often praised as a natural product. However, it is not produced in a very climate-friendly way:
The Manuka honey on which medicinal honey is based is imported from New Zealand and parts of Australia.
Because it has to be transported so far and is only available in small quantities, medicinal honey is comparatively expensive.
Medical honey is not pasteurized like other types of honey. Instead, he is treated with gamma rays. The process kills bacteria, while other ingredients are retained. But it is also very energy intensive.

Sometimes it’s not so easy to tell the difference between fruit and vegetables. Vegetables go in the salad and fruit on the cake? Read here where the real differences are.

In everyday life, we are usually pretty sure whether we have fruit or vegetables on our plate.

Our sense of taste determines that fruit such as pears or grapes tend to be sweet to sour and vegetables tend to be savory, such as peppers and tomatoes.
Cooking habit says: Vegetables often end up cooked on the plate, while fruit is a crunchy raw food snack.
But: There is no generally valid difference between fruit and vegetables. For example, botanists use a different definition than traders. Depending on the context, different definitions are useful.

For botanists, fruit comes from a fertilized flower, like an apple or a pear. Vegetables consist of other parts of a plant, such as the leaves of spinach or the stalk of asparagus. According to this definition, rhubarb would be a vegetable, while tomatoes would be a fruit.
According to a common definition, fruit grows on perennial plants, while vegetables belong to annual plants. When it comes to tomatoes, it becomes clear that the definitions are not congruent: tomatoes – a fruit for botanists – grow on annual plants and are considered vegetables according to this definition. Asparagus is perennial and would therefore be a fruit.
Why several definitions can make sense is explained when you consider when you need a definition: If you want to prepare a refreshing fruit salad, raw edible and sweet to sour ingredients make sense and are considered fruit for you in this situation. Whether these originated from a flower or another part of the plant is then rather uninteresting for you. However, when it comes to breeding or growing plants, you need to know how they reproduce – or even which parts are edible.

Why are fruits and vegetables at the top of the list in supermarkets?

In the supermarket, fruit and vegetables are sorted according to nutritional habits. Typical salad ingredients such as cucumber, tomato and pepper are next to each other and typical fruit such as apples, pears and grapes are usually not far apart.

Have you ever wondered why fruit and vegetables are usually offered in the entrance area of ​​the supermarket? The fruit and vegetable department slows down the running pace due to its structure and the products that the customer can smell and touch directly. As a result, customers buy more products. In addition, fruit should give the customer the feeling of fresh and healthy food.

To ensure that only healthy fruit and vegetables and no pesticides end up in your shopping basket, buy fruit from controlled organic cultivation. This is not only more appetizing, but also protects the environment.

Fruit and vegetables: The origin makes the difference

If you’re one of the lucky people with your own garden, you can see which fruits are in season. Some types of fruit and vegetables can also be grown in pots on the balcony.

Without your own harvest, you can also enjoy seasonal, regional fruit and vegetables. Seasonal fruits from your region are characterized by the fact that they have not traveled long distances and are very fresh. This saves them fuel and energy expended in bringing groceries to us from afar and storing them.

Cayenne pepper appears in the list of ingredients in many a recipe. Pharmacies also offer heat patches with cayenne pepper extract. What makes it so versatile?

Do not confuse: cayenne pepper and chilli powder

Cayenne pepper and chili powder look almost the same visually. But what many do not know: It is not the same product.

Cayenne pepper consists only of ground chili peppers of the Cayenne variety. The Cayenne chili peppers grow on a subshrub (Capsicum annuum var. acuminatum) that is about 50 centimeters high. The spice was used as early as the 15th century and originally comes from South America. From the 18th century, powdered cayenne was also popular in England. The English could use it to flavor the dishes they had come to know in the Indian colonies. You can dry cayenne and then grind it into cayenne pepper.

What the vernacular understands as chili powder today, on the other hand, is a spice mixture. That means it is not pure chili. The basic ingredients include cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin and oregano. Depending on the spice mixture, nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves are also included. With chili powder you can, for example, cook the typical Mexican dish Chili con carne or the meat-free version Chili sin carne.

Cayenne pepper is much hotter than chili powder. The Scoville unit indicates how pungent a spice really is on our taste and circulatory systems. The degree of sharpness of pure cayenne pepper is between 30,000 and 60,000 Scoville. For comparison: The pepperoni is at the lower end of the scale with 100-500 Scoville, while a jalapeño chilli has much more heat with 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville.

The name cayenne pepper is also misleading because there is no relationship to the classic pepper. Red, green, and black pepper are all based on the fruits of the pepper plant.

How does cayenne pepper work?

According to BR, cayenne pepper can support the body as follows:
What makes cayenne pepper hot is the active ingredient capsaicin.
When you eat cayenne pepper, your body produces endorphins. Under certain circumstances, these can still put you in a euphoric state, the “pepper high”.
The capsaicin contained in cayenne pepper promotes blood circulation in the skin and muscles and even relieves pain by releasing your body’s endorphins.
According to the Apothekenumschau, cayenne pepper also has the following effects:
Due to its sharpness, the cayenne pepper has an antibacterial effect: it stimulates gastric acid production. Stomach acid kills pathogens that enter the body through food in the digestive tract.
The active ingredient capsaicin in cayenne pepper also boosts the body’s digestion.
According to the NDR, some dietary supplements with capsaicin promise to promote fat burning. Eating chili can also make you sweat.

But in addition to capsaicin, cayenne pepper contains something else that is important: It contains a high proportion of carotenoids and vitamin C. Both ingredients make cayenne pepper a valuable antioxidant. Antioxidants are naturally occurring chemical substances that protect and strengthen our body from harmful influences.

Caution: If you have a sensitive stomach, you should not eat too spicy. This also applies if your stomach lining is weakened by stress, painkillers or other medication. Because the capsaicin it contains boosts gastric acid production

Many different dishes can be prepared with cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper traditionally comes from the national cuisine of South America. In addition, it is also used in the kitchens of India, China and Indonesia.

The cayenne pepper gives many dishes a spicy note. You can use it to refine various dishes – for example your pumpkin soup, your arrabiata sauce or your marinade. Or mix some cayenne pepper into vegan dips to flavor them.

As a special insider tip in the cold season, you can sprinkle some cayenne pepper on your hot chocolate. Have fun enjoying!

Is there a difference between theine and caffeine? We explain where the active ingredient theine occurs, how it works and what you need to know about it.

What is thein?

Coffee contains the active ingredient caffeine and black or green tea contains the active ingredient theine – at least that’s what many believe. But it is now known that the active ingredient in tea is identical to the active ingredient in coffee. So both drinks contain caffeine.

Caffeine is not only found in coffee beans. In addition, it is also found in numerous other plants – the tea bush, the mate bush, guaraná and the kola nut.

Theine and caffeine are basically the same substance. However, caffeine in coffee and tea works differently. This is because caffeine is released differently in coffee and tea.

Theine and caffeine: 6 important facts

If you like drinking tea and coffee, you’ve probably noticed that the two drinks have different effects. There are various reasons for this. We have summarized six important facts about the effects of caffeine (theine):
The caffeine content in the coffee bush, tea bush and mate bush is different and also varies from plant to plant.
A cup of tea contains less caffeine (theine) than a cup of coffee. This is due to the dose: You brew significantly fewer tea leaves for a cup of tea than coffee beans for a cup of coffee.
The caffeine content in tea is related to its brewing time. In black and green tea there are about 20 milligrams of caffeine in 100 milliliters of water after one minute and about 33 milligrams after five minutes.
Tea has a calming effect. The longer the tea steeps, the more tannins are released. These have a calming effect on digestion.
L-Theanine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in tea. It’s supposed to be relaxing. L-theanine is not found in coffee.
Various antioxidants are contained in the tea. These can trap free radicals in our body and thus protect us from diseases. In addition, they should cause a slow and even absorption of caffeine in the blood. Theine (caffeine in tea) should therefore act less quickly, but the invigorating effect should last longer.

Are there health risks from tea and coffee?

How much caffeine or caffeine you can consume per day varies from person to person. If you are unsure, consult your doctor.

Make sure you prepare your tea correctly. Prepare it with boiling water and do not leave it for several hours. This will prevent germs from forming in the tea.

Always pay attention to organic quality when buying tea and coffee. Because conventional types of tea and coffee can be contaminated with pollutants. In 2018, the consumer magazine Markt found high levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in various types of tea, for example. This drug is suspected of causing liver cancer.

Raw honey is the natural form of honey. But which honey is raw and how do you recognize it? Here you will find all the facts about the natural sweetener.

What exactly is raw honey?

Raw honey is pure, unprocessed honey that has not been filtered or heated. So it is natural honey. It is only sieved to remove coarse particles such as wax, dead bees or impurities.

Raw Honey: A rare delicacy in the United States

The legal situation may be different in other countries. For example, US honey is filtered and partially pasteurized by default – and therefore no longer raw. In the USA, “raw honey” is therefore considered a delicacy. Filtering honey means passing it through a very fine sieve. As a result, even the smallest particles get stuck in the filter, which is detrimental to the quality of the honey.

How do you recognize raw honey?

Viscous, creamy-cloudy honey is usually an indication of raw honey, because most varieties in Germany crystallize out quite quickly.
Clear syrupy honey may indicate it has been heated or filtered.

Sugar crystals on the edge of the glass are also an indication of natural honey. Honey is often not bottled directly, but initially stored in larger containers. For sale, the honey is then heated to a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius so that it is easier to bottle. As a result, the sugar does not bloom later – that is, no sugar crystals form on the glass. This may look more appealing, but it is a sign of reduced honey quality, because valuable enzymes are lost due to the heat (e.g. the enzyme invertase is very heat-sensitive according to D.I.B.).

Raw Honey: That’s how healthy it is

Honey contains valuable minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium or phosphorus as well as C and B vitamins. You can find more information about the ingredients of honey here.
Thanks to certain enzymes, honey also has an antibacterial and antiseptic effect. According to the University Hospital Bonn, certain types of honey can even promote wound healing – here, however, you should only use sterile medical honey.
Honey can support digestion and the immune system.
In raw honey in particular, these healthy ingredients are preserved. Pollen can also still be found in raw honey, which according to the D.I.B. stimulate appetite and aid digestion. If honey is filtered or heated, some of these healthy ingredients are lost (some of the enzymes are heat-sensitive). Only comb honey is healthier than raw honey: the wax contains even more valuable nutrients, pollen and propolis. Propolis (also called bee resin) is a resinous substance produced by the bees themselves. It protects the hive from invaders and diseases. Propolis is known for its antimicrobial properties.

Raw honey is therefore slightly healthier than filtered honey; the sugar content remains the same. Therefore, only consume raw honey in moderation.

Seed potatoes are also known as seed potatoes because they are used to sow new potato plants. Here we explain what distinguishes them from conventional ware potatoes and what is important when buying them.

Seed potatoes form the basis for potato cultivation: new potato tubers develop from their sprouts. They are therefore also called seed potatoes or seed potatoes. But doesn’t every potato sprout and can be used for sowing? In fact, it’s not that simple.

In this article you will find out where the differences between seed potatoes and ware potatoes are and what you should consider when choosing seed potatoes.

What is the difference between seed potatoes and ware potatoes?

At first glance, seed potatoes and ware potatoes look alike. But looks are deceptive – seed potatoes are grown and treated differently:
Since seed potatoes are not meant to be eaten, the size of the tubers is not that relevant. The plants are placed closer together. This creates more but smaller tubers.
So that the ability to germinate is preserved as well as possible, seed potatoes are stored at two to a maximum of six degrees Celsius. This is not necessary for table potatoes.
Conventional ware potatoes are often treated with sprout inhibitors such as chloropam. This allows them to be stored longer without expelling. Since seed potatoes should germinate as well as possible for cultivation, they are not treated with such agents. For this reason, they are in principle also suitable for consumption. But because of the higher price and the smaller tubers, this is rather unusual.
Before seed potatoes can be sold, they are tested for viruses and bacteria, as well as other diseases and pests. Some viruses and bacteria damage the roots during growth, while they are harmless to health due to the high temperatures when cooking. The focus of the test is primarily on pests such as potato nematodes.
Potatoes that are designated as seed potatoes are always of the same variety. This means that the variety you bought as a seed potato and planted in your garden will also grow back. In principle, you can buy seed potatoes in all varieties that are also available as ware potatoes.

Are seed potatoes necessary?

Are seed potatoes really necessary when potatoes sprout anyway? So that you can plant potatoes in your garden, it is usually sufficient to plant sprouted ware potatoes. On the other hand, if the harvested potatoes are intended for sale, you must use seed potatoes.

These are the disadvantages of using regular table potatoes as seed potatoes:
Potato plants from ware potatoes are often less productive.
If you keep taking a potato from the harvest to plant it next year, the plants usually become weaker and more susceptible to diseases.
You should pay attention to this if you want to use table potatoes as seed potatoes:
Be sure to only use untreated potatoes. Treated potatoes must be labeled. The packaging then says: “Treated after harvest.” Potatoes from organic farming must not be treated with germicides or chemical pesticides.
It is best to use a particularly strong potato with several eyes, i.e. starting points for new shoots.
Larger potatoes with enough eyes can also be divided before planting.

Vanillin is known to many people from baking with vanillin sugar. Here we explain the difference between vanillin and vanilla and between vanilla sugar and vanilla sugar.

Vanillin is a flavoring substance found in real vanilla beans. While vanillin is just one of many flavors found in vanilla, it accounts for the majority of the famous vanilla flavor. According to experts, however, it lacks the “bouquet”, the spectrum of different flavors of vanilla. Many people know from rum how multifaceted a bouquet can be. Here, too, connoisseurs speak of the bouquet.

Vanillin: Production of the vanilla alternative

through which he could artificially produce vanillin. With the help of the substance “Corniferins” from coniferous trees, the so-called “sugar splitting” gave it the tasteful vanilla-like aroma. Even today, conifers are an important source of vanillin.
In order to produce vanillin that does not come from real vanilla, “lignin” from spruce wood is usually used. Only rarely is vanillin based on eugenol in clove oil or guaiacol from guaiac trees.
100 kilograms of spruce wood provide about three kilograms of vanillin. Although the source of vanillin is natural, the extraction of vanillin is hardly more.
The necessary substance in spruce wood is obtained as a waste product during paper production by going through a so-called sulfite process. The flavoring produced here is also known as ethyl vanillin.

Flavoring substance vanillin: Many production possibilities

Obtaining it from clove oil is less problematic: the use of mold and bacteria produces the vanillin aroma from the ferulic acid in eugenol. However, this production is significantly more expensive and complex. Vanillin has also been extracted from cow dung and old newspaper.

In addition, vanillin can also be produced completely synthetically from petroleum or coal tar. Because of its carcinogenic properties, the EU severely restricted the use of coal tar.

The demand for real vanilla is too great to meet and vanilla production too difficult (more on this below). According to experts, we cannot avoid vanillin. Flavor expert Professor Ralf Berger advises that manufacturers should focus on biotechnologically produced vanillin (e.g. from clove oil) in the future. It can be produced with the help of living cells, bacteria and yeast fungi. For most foods, manufacturers isolate the basic ingredient vanillin anyway, according to the expert. It is therefore unnecessary to use “real” pods, as the flavoring is completely identical to the biotechnologically obtained substance.

Vanillin as an alternative to vanilla?

The vanilla plant itself (Vanilla planifolia) is a delicate orchid that is very susceptible to crop failures and tropical storms. This circumstance and the high crime rate are also the reason why small farmers in the main cultivation area (the island state of Madagascar) often have to fear for their livelihood. Since the plant is native to South America and lacks the hummingbirds and long-nosed insects that live there, farmers have to pollinate the flowers (40,000 for a kilo of vanilla) by hand. This work, the round-the-clock protection and the fermentation of the pods usually take whole months. A kilo of vanilla beans fetched around 600 euros in 2017. Because vanilla is so sensitive to natural conditions, it is a rarity. The peasants can demand large sums of money and still face the fear of theft and sometimes even murder.

Vanilla and vanillin: Help in the jungle of ingredients

What exactly is the difference between vanillin sugar and vanilla sugar? For real vanilla sugar, you need real vanilla beans. Vanillin sugar, on the other hand, is artificially produced. This is just sugar with an added vanillin flavor, which is mainly produced synthetically.

Vanilla: Vanilla is not a flavor, it is the spice with a “bouquet” of different flavors. If only vanilla is on the ingredient list – without any additional markers – then it’s real vanilla.
Bourbon vanilla: This label indicates particularly high-quality vanilla that comes exclusively from the Bourbon Islands (e.g. in La Réunion or Madagascar). Since these are the main growing areas for vanilla, most of the real vanilla comes from there.
Vanilla extract: Here the aroma is extracted with the help of ethanol and sugar and must be obtained 100 percent from the real vanilla pod. It contains a similar range of flavors as real vanilla.
Natural Vanilla Flavor: At least 95 percent must come from real vanilla, with the rest allowed to come from other sources for standardization.
Natural aroma: Although this is a natural source of the aroma, it is not the vanilla itself. For example, the aromas biotechnologically obtained from clove oil are meant.
Vanilla Flavor: If you only see the word “flavor” on product packaging, it’s a man-made substance from a non-natural source. What is meant are flavors from sulfite waste, petroleum or coal tar.
Many think that the black dots scraped out of the pod in pudding or ice cream indicate real vanilla. Unfortunately, these are often ground vanilla beans that have already been scraped out. These no longer contain a special vanilla flavor and are sold cheaply. So always check the list of ingredients for hidden flavors.

Persipan is a common marzipan substitute based on apricot or peach stones. If you like buying ready-made dominoes or studs during the Christmas season, you’ve probably come across Persipan.

Marzipan is found in many popular sweets – the sweet ingredient with the subtle bitter note is often used, especially at Christmas time.

Use of Persipan and how to recognize it

Persipan tastes a little stronger than marzipan and can be used in the same way. The marzipan substitute is mainly used in industrial pastries. You will often find it in stollen and dominoes as well as other Christmas cookies.

According to the guiding principle for fine baked goods, manufacturers must label the use of Persipan. For example, the addition “with Persipan” can appear on the product.

But you can always look at the list of ingredients for marzipan baked goods: the higher up the list of ingredients almonds are, the higher the quality of the marzipan used is likely to be. Some manufacturers not only replace marzipan with persipan, but also add pulses to save even more money.

Persipan: Health and Sustainability

You may have heard that apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which can produce toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body. However, you can consume Persipan without hesitation – the amygdalin is removed from the apricot kernels during the production of Persipan. However, just like marzipan, you should use persipan sparingly, as the mixture is very high in sugar.

Almonds are healthy, but not very sustainable: they often come from far away and growing them uses a lot of water. No sustainability data can be found for Persipan. However, since apricot and peach stones are basically waste products, persipan is probably more sustainable than marzipan.

Of course, this also depends on where the kernels come from – you probably won’t find this out with Persipan in industrial products. In any case, it is better if you prepare your own Christmas cookies using high-quality ingredients.

Persipan is a common marzipan substitute based on apricot or peach stones. If you like buying ready-made dominoes or studs during the Christmas season, you’ve probably come across Persipan.

Marzipan is found in many popular sweets – the sweet ingredient with the subtle bitter note is often used, especially at Christmas time.

Use of Persipan and how to recognize it

Persipan tastes a little stronger than marzipan and can be used in the same way. The marzipan substitute is mainly used in industrial pastries. You will often find it in stollen and dominoes as well as other Christmas cookies.

According to the guiding principle for fine baked goods, manufacturers must label the use of Persipan. For example, the addition “with Persipan” can appear on the product.

But you can always look at the list of ingredients for marzipan baked goods: the higher up the list of ingredients almonds are, the higher the quality of the marzipan used is likely to be. Some manufacturers not only replace marzipan with persipan, but also add pulses to save even more money.

Persipan: Health and Sustainability

You may have heard that apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which can produce toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body. However, you can consume Persipan without hesitation – the amygdalin is removed from the apricot kernels during the production of Persipan. However, just like marzipan, you should use persipan sparingly, as the mixture is very high in sugar.

Almonds are healthy, but not very sustainable: they often come from far away and growing them uses a lot of water. No sustainability data can be found for Persipan. However, since apricot and peach stones are basically waste products, persipan is probably more sustainable than marzipan.

Of course, this also depends on where the kernels come from – you probably won’t find this out with Persipan in industrial products. In any case, it is better if you prepare your own Christmas cookies using high-quality ingredients.