Acidulous GRE Vocabulary Flashcard

Acidulous GRE Vocabulary Flashcard

/əˈsɪdjʊləs/ (adj)

Definition

sour or cutting in manner, taste or tone, acerbic, piquant, cutting, biting, tart, pungent, sharp-tasting, acrimonious, acidic

Example

Bacteria tend to get a lot of bad press. But lactic acid bacteria occur naturally on plants like grasses and can easily end up in milk. They ferment lactose at room temperature and turn it into lactic acid, and that’s why milk goes acidulous. More acid means more hydrogen ions, a lower pH and a sour taste. Lower pH change the structure of proteins like casein, which gives milk its whiteness, so it curdles into clumps called curds. The leftover yellowy liquid is whey. Apparently, little Miss Muffet was just having unpasteurized milk that had been left out for a while. Microbes like Lactococcus lactis get added back to the milk after pasteurization to make dairy products like yogurt and cheese.

Source: https://www.scienceworld.ca/

Antonyms

sweet, tasty, kind

Parts of speech

Adverb: acidulously

Noun: acidulousness