How to unboil an egg - Eleanor Nelsen

譯者: 蔡 侑廷 審譯者: 洪HUNG 士鈞SHIH CHUN

It's so obvious that it's practically proverbial.

很明顯又眾所周知的是

You can't unboil an egg.

你不能還原一顆煮熟的雞蛋

Well, it turns out you can, sort of.

然而，在某種程度上，你其實是可以做到的

What thermal energy does to the eggs' molecules,

加熱對蛋的分子所做的事

mechanical energy can undo.

卻可以靠機械動能將其還原

Eggs are mostly made of water and proteins.

蛋主要是由水和蛋白質組成

The proteins start off folded up into intricate shapes,

起初，蛋白質是折疊成一種複雜的形狀

held together by weak chemical bonds.

依靠弱的化學鍵連接在一起

Adding heat disrupts those bonds,

加熱能分解化學鍵

allowing the proteins to unfold, uncoil, unwind and wiggle freely.

使蛋白質能夠展開，鬆繞，分離而自由地擺動

This process is called denaturing.

這個過程稱之為“變性”

The newly liberated proteins bump up against their neighbors

新解放的蛋白質，會與鄰近蛋白質互相撞擊

and start to form new bonds with each other,

並開始與對方形成新的鍵結

more and more as the heat increases,

當熱量變得越來越多後

until finally, they're so entangled that they gel into a solid mass,

最後，它們將糾結成一個膠狀固體

a boiled egg.

形成一顆水煮蛋

That entanglement might look permanent, but it's not.

那種糾結看起來是永久性的 但事實並非如此

According to a chemical idea

根據一個叫做

called the principle of microscopic reversibility,

微觀可逆原理的化學觀點

anything that happens, like egg proteins seizing up,

任何已發生的事情， 像是雞蛋中的蛋白質變為固體的情況

can theoretically unhappen if you retrace your steps.

如果你將倒著做每一步驟 理論上應該可將它還原

But adding more heat will tangle the proteins further,

但是增加熱量 只會使蛋白質糾纏的更緊

and cooling them down will only freeze them,

而降低溫度 也只會冷凍它們

so here's the trick:

所以，要還原蛋白質的秘訣是：

spin them around ridiculously fast.

將其極快的旋轉

I'm not kidding.

我可不是在說笑

Here's how it works.

以下是它的原理

First, scientists dissolve boiled egg whites in water

首先，科學夾將煮熟的蛋白溶解在水中

with a chemical called urea,

同時加上一種化學物質「尿素」

a small molecule that acts as a lubricant, coating the proteins' long strands

它是一個小分子，好像潤滑劑一樣 附著在蛋白質較長的一股

and making it easier for them to glide past each other.

這使它們更容易滑過對方

Then, they spin that solution in a glass tube

然後，他們將溶液放入試管以

at a breakneck 5000 rotations per minute,

一個極快的5000轉每分鐘的速度旋轉

making the solution spread out into a thin film.

使得溶液展開形成一層很薄的生物膜

Here's the key part.

接下來是關鍵的部分

The solution nearest the wall spins faster

離試管壁最近的溶液旋轉地比

than the solution closer to the middle.

中間的溶液旋轉得快

That difference in velocity creates sheer stresses

這個速度上的區別產生了剪力

that repeatedly stretch and contract the proteins

會重複拉伸和收縮蛋白質

until eventually they snap back into their native shapes and stay there.

直到最後它們恢復成原始的性狀， 並穩定下來

By the time the centrifuge stops spinning,

當離心機停止旋轉

the egg white is back in its original unboiled state.

雞蛋白恢復成了未被煮過的形態

This technique works with all sorts of proteins.

這個技術適用於所有蛋白質

Bigger, messier proteins can be more resistant to being pulled apart,

更大和更混亂的蛋白質將會更難還原

so scientists attach a plastic bead to one end

所以科學家將其尾端 黏上一個塑膠球

that adds extra stress and encourages it to fold up first.

產生額外的重量，並會加大收縮 促使它先折疊

This unboiling method won't work with a whole egg in its shell

這個方法不適用於一個完整的帶殼的蛋

since the solution has to spread throughout a cylindrical chamber.

因為溶液必須在圓柱體容器內展開

But the applications go way beyond uncooking your breakfast, anyhow.

但是實際應用 遠遠超越還原你的早餐

Many pharmaceuticals consist of proteins that are extremely expensive to produce,

很多含有蛋白質的藥物的生產費用非常高

partly because they get stuck in tangled up aggregates,

有些是因為他們卡在了聚集蛋白質中

just like cooked egg whites

就像煮熟的蛋白

and have to be untangled and refolded before they can do their jobs.

這些必須在他們開始工作前被打散和展開

This spinning technique has the potential

這個旋轉方法， 相比於其他再折疊蛋白質的方式

to be an easier, cheaper and quicker method

能成為比其他製造方式

than other ways to refold proteins,

更容易，更便宜 和更快的方法

so it may allow new drugs to be made available to more people faster.

所以，它可能會使新藥物的出現更加快捷

And there's one more thing you need to keep in mind

還有一件事你需要記住

before trying to uncook all of your food.

再還原所有食物之前

Boiling an egg is actually an unusual cooking process

煮蛋實際上是個不尋常的過程

because even though it changes the way proteins are shaped and bound together,

因為即使它使蛋白質的形狀和連接方式 發生了改變

it doesn't actually change their chemical identity.

它的化學性質並沒有改變

Most types of cooking are more like the famous Maillard reaction,

大多數烹飪過程類似著名的“梅拉德反應”

which makes chemical changes

就是會發生化學變化

that turn sugars and proteins into delicious caramel crunchiness

將糖分和蛋白質轉換成美味的焦糖脆

and are a lot harder to undo.

這會非常難還原

So you might be able to unboil your egg,

所以你可以還原你的蛋所以你可以還原你的水煮蛋

but I'm sorry to say you can't unfry it...yet.

但很抱歉，目前為止， 還不能還原你的煎蛋