Food Unwrapped Show Summary, Upcoming Episodes and TV Guide

The gang find out what exactly locust bean gum is. Also, why is strawberry juice so elusive at the supermarket? And in the Orkney Islands, Matt uncovers some very special residents.

Matt Tebbutt unbottles the mystery of wine sulphites and hangovers, Amanda Byram explores how peas could solve the plastic pollution problem, and Andi Oliver wonders how shop-bought grated cheese doesn't stick together.

Return of the programme looking at the secrets behind mass-produced food. Matt Tebbutt finds out how much meat is in a sausage and how the great British banger got its name. Kate Quilton investigates orange wine and how it gets its colour, and Amanda Byram discovers the high-tech solution to cutting a perfect slice of millionaire's shortbread.

Jimmy Doherty determines whether brioche is bread or cake and why it has become the preferred choice for burgers, and Matt Tebbutt is on a mission to find out why our wine comes in bottles of so many different shapes and sizes. Kate Quilton gets to the bottom of why some ice creams melt faster than others.

Jimmy Doherty finds out why pasta comes in so many different shapes, Kate Quilton is hot on the trail of the spice ratings in our ready meals, and how they are determined, and Briony May Williams looks at the butter content in buttermilk.

How the UK food industry is meeting the challenges of climate change, including a look at an innovative plan to reduce supermarkets' reliance on plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables. Kate Quilton investigates why cucumbers come wrapped in so much plastic, Amanda Byram finds out what becomes of pumpkins after Halloween, and Matt Tebbutt reports on a protein made in the UK that provides a more environmentally friendly alternative to both meat and soy.

Matt Tebbutt visits Argentina to learn the secret of perfect popcorn, Andi Oliver looks at how the mould gets put inside blue cheese, and Jimmy Doherty is in Germany to see how electricity is used in cutting edge crisp production.

The team lift the lid on al fresco food. Does using marinades or dry rubs make a difference to your meat? Plus: halloumi, fruit salad, edible charcoal and more.

More fascinating food facts from around the world, including the role of candy floss in an astonishing food revolution in the US. Plus: crayfish trapping, and brie.

Jimmy Doherty is in Thailand asking how the blossom from a banana tree is shaking up fish and chip suppers. Matt Tebbutt visits Spain to find out how the delicate raspberry gets from fields to fridges without turning to mush, and Andi Oliver heads to an onion factory to see how the eye-watering vegetables are peeled on a gigantic scale.

Matt Tebbutt investigates an intriguing claim about tomato ketchup bottles, Kate Quilton discovers how oysters turned from a Victorian bar snack to a wallet-busting luxury, and Amanda Byram uncovers the difference between medium and large eggs.

The return of the programme exploring the secrets behind mass-produced food, with Jimmy Doherty heading to Paris to find out why baguettes go stale so much faster than sliced loaves of bread. Matt Tebbutt is in Italy to investigate why buffalo mozzarella is much more expensive than that from cows and Briony May Williams discovers the surprising secret to the making of mushy peas.

Favourite investigations. Jimmy Doherty finds out what gives piquanté peppers their sweetness. And Kate Quilton investigates potentially dangerous levels of mercury in tuna fish.

Favourite investigations. Jimmy Doherty visits Europe's biggest brewery. Kate Quilton challenges Matt Tebbutt to make crumpets. And Matt discovers why maple syrup is so expensive.

Kate and Helen explore vanilla, while in the Netherlands Matt explores the myth that Edam balls were once used as emergency cannon balls!

Matt Tebbutt reveals the secret behind the iced writing that is so perfect on every supermarket birthday cake, while Kate Quilton looks at the growing trend of hemp-based food products. Jimmy Doherty heads to Japan to establish why soy is in so many of the public's favourite foods and learns how this little bean could be health enhancing.

Have you ever wondered how the humble spud is turned into the unusual shapes in your favourite bag of crisps? Jimmy Doherty visits Germany to learn the secret behind the twists, twirls and curls of this much-loved snack. Dr Helen Lawal investigates whether carb-restrictive diets really burn fat quicker, and uncovers an astonishing medical use for this popular weight-loss tool. And Matt Tebbutt finds out the surprising reason why smoked fish is dyed yellow.

How do you milk a camel? Kate investigates, and explores camel milk's rising popularity. How does supermarket fresh pasta last so long? And should we buy supermarkets' standard products or value ones?

Kate Quilton learns about a potentially life-saving property of discarded shrimp shells and Matt Tebbutt investigates why people cannot seem to get enough of salted caramel. Plus, Jimmy Doherty explores the price differences between fresh and frozen pizzas in supermarkets.

In America's heartland, Jimmy Doherty finds out just how baked our baked beans are. Kate Quilton asks why stinky cheese smells so bad but tastes so good, and Matt Tebbutt heads to France to get the skinny on diet champagne.

Jimmy Doherty sets out to find out how to make a kipper, and why this nutritious fish is no longer a breakfast favourite in Britain. In the Netherlands, Jimmy wonders if we should copy the Dutch, who eat their herring raw. In Germany, Kate Quilton investigates gherkins, and discovers a space-age machine that can pickle food in seconds. And if rice cakes are made from brown rice, how come they're white? Matt Tebbutt and Helen Lawal investigate.

Why is there jelly in our pork pies and how does it get there? What in nature provides the natural bright blue dye in our sweets? And why is soft shell crab such a delicacy?

Food Unwrapped reveals more secrets about our food. Matt Tebbutt investigates concerns about levels of naturally-occurring arsenic in baby rice products. Jimmy Doherty examines Marks and Spencer's claim that they can trace all their beef burgers back to the cow. And Kate Quilton explores whether a parasite could be hiding in your sushi.

Food Unwrapped returns for a new run, revealing more secrets about our food. Jimmy Doherty finds out if eating too many poppy seeds could make him fail a drugs test. Kate Quilton learns the consequences of tipping your waste cooking oil down the drain. And Matt Tebbutt has a Sicilian bake-off with increasingly popular ancient grain bread.

In a unique laboratory that could be mistaken for a pub, Jimmy Doherty investigates the popular belief that coffee can sober you up. He also looks into interesting new research linking coffee consumption and a reduced risk of liver disease. In San Francisco, Kate Quilton investigates new trendy drink kombucha, and the mind-blowing American team who are turning it into clothes! And Matt Tebbutt takes a bite out of thin-cut steak, and wonders why the supermarket labels don't say which cut of beef they come from. Are retailers trying to fob us off with inferior cuts?

Jimmy Doherty wants to know why jelly won't set if you add chopped papaya to it. In South Africa, Jimmy discovers that the exotic fruit contains enzymes that can also help tenderise meat. But could they also help the human gut? Jimmy quizzes Holland and Barrett, who sell papaya extract as an after-meal supplement. In Hawaii, Kate Quilton visits America's only tuna auction to find out why some fish have dangerous levels of mercury, while others don't. She also visits a ground-breaking tech start-up in San Francisco who hope to feed the world by growing fish flesh in a dish. And Matt Tebbutt wants to know why homemade ice cubes are always cloudy, when the ones that you buy in shops are always clear. They're all made with tap water, so what's the trick?

Jimmy Doherty asks what makes a London dry gin a London dry gin. He also finds out about a threat to British juniper berries that could spell the end of gin's recent resurgence. Kate Quilton heads to tropical Hawaii to find out why macadamia nuts aren't sold in their shells. She ropes in some Hawaiian muscle in the Big Island shipyards to help crack the case. At a Food Unwrapped party, Matt Tebbutt grosses out the crew with his notorious habit of double dipping: going back for a second dip in a communal salsa with a tortilla chip that's already been in his mouth. In a laboratory, Matt investigates what germs he may be transferring to the dips, and whether he needs to change his mucky ways.

Jimmy Doherty tries to find out what the white powdery residue that can form on chocolate is with the aid of the world's biggest X-ray machine, which is 2.3km in circumference. In Belgium, Kate Quilton asks if any of the ingredients in bedtime teas can really help people to sleep, while Matt Tebbutt is in the Netherlands to discover if balls of Edam really were once used as emergency cannonballs.

Jimmy Doherty visits Europe's biggest brewery as he hunts for the mother of all lagers. Kate Quilton drops in on a Bristol primary school to investigate if changing the shape of a food can really help our children eat their vegetables. And Matt Tebbutt visits Poland to find out why our blueberries are coated in a strange cloudy wax.

Kate Quilton challenges Matt Tebbutt to make crumpets, and finds out how they get filled with unique holes. Jimmy Doherty looks into the unusually long shelf-life of baby food, and is introduced to a brand new machine that preserves food by using pressure instead of heat. And, in Italy, Matt finds out why mascarpone is more expensive than other soft cheeses.

The team investigate why some supermarket food prices have soared this year, and reveal how technology can help us save money, from dynamic pricing to innovative packaging.

Jimmy Doherty heads to Portugal to learn about the battle against the hidden nuisance that leads to corked wine, while in Cyprus, Matt Tebbutt solves the riddle of why cooking okra produces tonnes of slime. Plus, Kate Quilton looks into the surprising difference between runny and set honey.

Jimmy finds out that shellfish consumed by millions have been feeding on plastic discarded in the sea, with shocking global implications. Kate finds out whether the makers of Marmite can really predict whether people will love or hate their distinctive yeast-based spread, as claimed in their latest TV advert, and Matt aims to solve the age-old mystery of how to smoothly extract ketchup from a bottle - by running across a pond of custard.

Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt return with a new episode, uncovering more unusual, intriguing and surprising secrets behind the food we eat. Kate looks into coloured crisps. In Chile she finds out how these rainbow snacks get their colour, and discovers why the common white potato is king of the crop, despite the other fantastic options on offer. Meanwhile, Jimmy investigates one of the trendiest items on our shelves: avocados. But the rapidly rising demand for these fantastic fruits has led to alarming reports of a crime wave hitting growers. A trip to an avocado farm in Spain reveals the extent of the problem, and also sheds light on the secret to making a lovely green guacamole. And in Belgium Matt finds out about one of the tangiest tipples on our supermarket shelves: sour beer.

In this Food Unwrapped diet special, Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton, Matt Tebbutt and guest presenter Kiran Jethwa cross the globe to unearth the very latest dietary trends and scientific advances in the world of weight loss. In Los Angeles, home of the body beautiful, Kate investigates reports that caffeine could be a powerful secret weapon in the battle of the bulge. Could a double espresso really help us burn extra calories, even after we finish exercising? Kate meets one of California's leading sports scientists to find out. Jimmy visits Belgium on the trail of the dieter's holy grail: a chocolate that could be good for you. The secret? It's a probiotic chocolate bar, packed with bacteria that are supposed to keep us healthy and even help us stay slim. But how does probiotic chocolate stack up against other gut-friendly foods such as sauerkraut or yoghurt?

How much prawn's in a prawn cracker? What's in low-salt food instead of salt? Plus the new high-tech method of keeping fresh herbs alive for longer

Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt return for a new series, travelling the globe to uncover more unusual, intriguing and surprising secrets behind the food we eat. Jimmy investigates shock reports that changing sea temperatures mean squid and chips could one day replace fish and chips as our national dish. To see what could be in store, he visits Thailand, where squid is a national obsession. He joins the Thai squid fishing fleet to witness a colourful display of night fishing that's so spectacular it can be seen from space. Meanwhile, millions of us take multivitamins every day. Kate investigates where they actually come from, and how much we need them. At Nasa, an astronaut lets her into the secrets of space nutrition. And what gives clotted cream its distinctive yellow colour? To find out, Matt visits the UK's leading producer in Cornwall, and an astonishing algae farm in the desert in Israel.

Jimmy, Kate and Matt present some of their favourite investigations, including a ground-breaking use for an enzyme found in pineapples. Plus vitamin D, and elderflower cordial.

What are those worms doing in bottles of tequila? How do you stop carp tasting of mud? And what's the difference between tangerines, mandarins, satsumas and clementines?

Kate investigates eucalyptus. It's found in throat lozenges and chewing gum, but what exactly is it, where does it come from, and why is it so good at clearing the airwaves? In Australia, Kate meets one of the world's cutest animals: the koala, raised from birth on a diet of eucalyptus. Kate finds out that eucalyptus is highly toxic, but a local farmer shows her the clever way it's made safe for human consumption. Jimmy's puzzling over pickles. Most pickled goods contain vinegar, but pickled cabbage - or sauerkraut - has no vinegar at all, despite tasting decidedly vinegary. So what's going on? To find out, Jimmy visits a very chilly Poland, the home of sauerkraut, before learning about a remarkable new use for sauerkraut juice in a French power station.

Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt travel the globe to uncover more unusual, intriguing and surprising secrets behind the food we eat. Kate's down under, on the trail of one of the most exotic meats going: crocodile. It's started popping up on our supermarket shelves, but how on earth do you farm such a dangerous animal? Kate undertakes a terrifying task in Darwin in Northern Australia: collecting freshly laid crocodile eggs from under their mother's nose. Meanwhile: cod liver oil; rather than using cod, could you make oil from salmon or haddock livers for example? Jimmy's search for the answer takes him first to Grimsby, where he picks his way through tonnes of fish guts, before a trip to Iceland makes everything clear. And bagels' ingredients are virtually the same as bread, so how come they taste so different? Matt wants to visit New York, the spiritual home of the bagel, to find out, but instead finds himself in Rotherham, inside the largest bagel factory in Europe.

Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt travel the globe in their quest to uncover more unusual, intriguing and surprising secrets behind the food we eat. Jimmy's off to Israel on the trail of an elusive fruit - the fresh date. If raisins are dried grapes and prunes are dried plums, then what exactly are dates? Jimmy's search for the answer takes him to a vast water purification plant, where they harness the raw sewage of Tel Aviv to turn barren desert into fertile farmland. Kate flies to California to investigate why almond butter is more expensive than other nutty spreads, and discovers a combination of extreme weather and global economics have made the price of almonds go completely nuts. And Matt's in Scotland, investigating haggis. He makes a surprising discovery about the dish's true origins - and then faces the nerve-shredding ordeal of delivering some highly unwelcome news to an unsuspecting audience.

Skyr: it looks like yoghurt and it's creamy like yoghurt, but it's fat-free. So is it yoghurt? Jimmy visits Iceland to find out. Are dried strawberries in cereal real strawberries? Plus: oysters.

Jimmy checks out craft beer; could it really make a good sports recovery drink? Kate joins the world's biggest food fight at a Spanish tomato festival. And why are tinned anchovies salty?

Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt uncover more unusual, intriguing and surprising secrets behind the food we eat. Kate visits Israel to unearth the mystery ingredient that makes icing sugar so light, fluffy and powdery. Her journey takes her via a dip in the Dead Sea to an enormous phosphate mine in the desert, where all is revealed. In Italy, Jimmy investigates the difference between risotto rice and long grain rice. An early morning trip to a bustling rice auction and a visit to a flooded rice field shed some light. Back in the UK, Jimmy challenges renowned Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo to knock up a risotto using long grain rice; can it be done? And where do pre-packed sandwiches' crusts go? Matt discovers that one sandwich maker has come up with an innovative - and surprising - way of putting the waste bread to good use.

Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt present a Food Unwrapped summer diets special, with help from super-slimmers who are sharing the secrets of their dieting success. Is there any scientific evidence to back up their amazing dieting success stories? Kate checks out miso soup: flavour-rich and calorie-thin, it's been touted as the perfect diet aid. But can something so thin and watery possibly keep you feeling full? Kate meets a professor whose cutting-edge research may hold the key to miso's alleged weight-loss properties. Kate also tackles the apple cider vinegar diet.

Jimmy joins the battle between the bell pepper and the Mediterranean fruit fly. Matt visits an amazing mobile leek factory. And how can you tell how much manuka is in your manuka honey?

Are crisp flavours made of real cheese and onion or cooked up in a lab? Matt investigates. Meanwhile, Kate learns the secrets of pepper, and Jimmy finds out about different types of yeast.

Why is almond butter more expensive than other nutty spreads? How is wine turned into fortified wine? And why does chopping onions make you cry?

Are ready meals really twice as big as they were in the 1950s? How do green soy beans become creamy white tofu? And can artificially inseminating cows make milk easier to digest?

Jimmy, Kate and Matt present some more of their favourite investigations. Is there a wasp in your fig? How do energy drinks give you a boost? Why can't you eat kidney beans raw?

The team present favourite investigations. What exactly is whitebait? Kate reveals the secrets of saffron fraud. The glacé cherry production process takes Matt's breath away, but not in a good way!

Jimmy, Kate and Matt present some of their favourite investigations, including Greek yoghurt's potentially devastating by-product, as well as red Leicester cheese and ostrich meat

The team look back at some favourite investigations. Why is that liquid in packets of mozzarella? Why do we import venison when there are so many British deer? Why shouldn't we eat raw bean sprouts?

Do prunes really keep us regular? How much sugar is in cherry tomatoes, and are supermarkets labelling them correctly? And can a Dutch pioneer grow veg using sea water?

Jimmy examines how far farmers go to produce perfect veg for supermarkets. In America, Kate discovers that wine's getting stronger. Matt finds out which biscuit's best for dunking.

Jimmy investigates whether it's worth splashing out on expensive vodka, Kate finds out how coffee beans are turned into instant granules, and Matt checks out Wensleydale cheese

Jimmy investigates the effects of vitamin D deficiency. Kate wants to know how supermarkets can sell wagyu beef, cheaply. And Matt heads to Switzerland to ask why there are holes in Swiss cheese.

Jimmy, Kate and Matt revisit some of their most surprising food investigations. How fresh is supermarket fish? Is cheese always off-limits if you want to lose weight? And what's in olives?

Jimmy investigates mineral water and whether tap water has really been through seven people, while Kate finds out what the vegetable is in vegetable oil

Jimmy finds out what whitebait actually is and why it's not available in most supermarkets. Kate visits a cattle farm in America that supersizes cows and asks if what our meat eats matters.

Jimmy learns about a potentially devastating Greek yoghurt by-product. Kate uncovers the secrets of saffron, and Matt finds out why you can't eat kidney beans raw.

Jimmy examines the impact 'healthy' snacks can have on children's teeth. Kate finds out what makes cheap wine taste good, and Matt asks why good garlic gives us bad breath.

Why is halloumi cheese a subject of great debate? Is there a lethal poison lurking in apple cores? And what lives inside every sourdough loaf?

Is there any goodness left in tinned tomatoes? What part of a pig makes sweets chewy? And how do prebiotics work?