Shedeh
Encyclopedia
Shedeh was a drink of Ancient Egypt
. Although it was long thought to have been made from pomegranates, recent evidence suggests it came from grapes.
scientists led by Maria Rosa Guasch-Jané developed a new method of identifying an acid left by compounds in red wine. The evidence was compiled using both liquid chromatography
and mass spectrometry
together, which revealed syringic acid
in scrapings taken from jars in King Tutankhamun's tomb. Syringic acid is released by the breakdown of the compound malvidin
, found in red wine.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. Although it was long thought to have been made from pomegranates, recent evidence suggests it came from grapes.
Discovery
In 2006, a team of SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
scientists led by Maria Rosa Guasch-Jané developed a new method of identifying an acid left by compounds in red wine. The evidence was compiled using both liquid chromatography
Chromatography
Chromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....
and mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
together, which revealed syringic acid
Syringic acid
Syringic acid is a naturally occurring O-methylated trihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of chemical compound. It can be found in the açaí palm and its oil , in Ardisia elliptica...
in scrapings taken from jars in King Tutankhamun's tomb. Syringic acid is released by the breakdown of the compound malvidin
Malvidin
Malvidin is an O-methylated anthocyanidin. As a primary plant pigment, its glycosides are highly abundant in nature. It is responsible primarily for the color of red wine, Vitis vinifera being one of its sources...
, found in red wine.