Many have marvelled at just how well food will stick to various surfaces. This discussion attempts to dispell some of the myths surrounding these adhesive properties.

Cold Adhesion

Many Food stuffs will adhere to surfaces without assistance. These can be classified as Cold Adhesive Food substances. The key factor in identifying a Cold Adhesive Food substance is straight forward. Simply leave the substance in the fridge (not freezer) overnight and in the morning see if it is sticky to the touch. If it is then it can be assessed on the Cold Adhesion scale. A good example of a cold adhesive food substance would be honey.

Hot Adhesion

This type of adhesion is only valid if the food substance has a temparature greater than fifty degrees centigrade. Please ensure that you are supervised when testing for hot adhesive substances. Good examples of hot adhesive food substances would be Jam, often referred to as the napalm of the food world, and cheese. It is important that when testing for hot adhesive food substances, the food must remain edible at all times or the test is invalid.

Impact Adhesion

There is much dispute about this catagory. It is true to say that given enough force, just about any object can be made to adhere to any surface. This was clearly demonstrated when the German Scientist Fredrick Von Cheesenlauncher fired a loaf of stale bread at his house using an 88mm howitser. Despite it sticking to a large number of bricks, this particular test was invalidated by the house in question being destroyed by the bread under test. The use of stale bread has also further condemmed the test as it was inedible before the test began. The current thinking is that the food substance must be thrown by hand. This will limit the amount of force used and give a more accurate reading. Cheese once again features largely in this catagory illustrating just how versatile it can be.

Adhesion over Time

This is another controversial catagory, much supported by a number of student bodies from Universities across England. The adhesion occurs when the food substance is left on the test surface overnight. Since the creation of this catagory by Derick Snottasniff, studying engineering at a polytechnic on the south coast, there have been some suprising entries including coffee and tea. In tests, Derick managed to glue an entire collection of mugs to a melanine work surface using a blend of breakfast tea and expresso. In order to test edibility after adhesion, Derick disolved it in warm water to make a drink. The question is whether or not further mixes and blends after adhesion would invalidate the test. One school of thought states that further blending after adhesion makes a new substance whereas the counter arguement states that the substances is simply being reinstated to its original form and that no significant change has occurred. A more definite time based food adhesive is egg. Sticks like glue and can be eaten (by certain hardy individuals) the following day.

Conclusion

There are many food substances that are yet to be tested. Further tests must be conducted in order to accurately calibrate the various scales of adhesion and their eventual use in the builing industry. If you have any more information on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact me.