10 Interesting Things The Big Bang Theory Taught Us About Science

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9. Organic Chemistry - Why You Shouldn't Refrigerate Your Bread

Episode 6 of season 3 focuses on Leonard and Penny's relationship as Leonard attempts to learn more about football to impress his partner's friends. While doing so Sheldon comes over to borrow some bread and €“ of course €“ cannot resist letting Penny know that she shouldn't refrigerate hers. Many people refrigerate their bread to keep it fresh so why should they adhere to Sheldon's words? Well, as stated staleness actually occurs due to crystallization of starch molecules in the bread. This process occurs faster at cooler temperatures meaning that while the refrigeration may protect the bread from external stimuli it's actually losing freshness much quicker. To understand this we need to take a deeper look into the field of chemistry. Starch molecules have two base components - two sugar molecules which can form links and chains to form complex carbohydrates. While heating these molecules weaken and bonds are broken allowing water molecules to enter and form new bonds. In doing so the bread swells and becomes soft. When the bread is removed from the heat or places in a cooler location the reverse occurs. These molecules will then crystallize causing the bread to harden and become stale. Gluten-free breads differ due to lacking wheat gluten meaning they must be refrigerated to maintain freshness but that's a whole different story.