【英语时差8,16】面包保鲜策略（下）

But as the bread cools, the starch¹ molecules² begin to return to their original tight granules, and in the process, expel³ the water that they absorbed during baking. As the starch granules contract, they get hard again and less flexible, making the bread dry and crumbly. Cooler temperatures cause the starch granules to contract faster, while warmer temperatures allow the granules to hold their water longer. In the freezer the process of becoming stale is almost stopped, but just above freezing, bread gets stale the fastest. So for the freshest loaf, either freeze your bread quickly or keep it at room temperature. Bread that goes stale in a plastic bag doesn’t really lose its moisture and can be improved by toasting. This is because the heat of the toaster causes the starch granules to reabsorb some of the moisture lost as the bread was becoming stale.

1 starch   

n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆

参考例句：

• Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。
• I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。

2 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

3 expel   

vt.把...开除，驱逐，放逐，排出，喷出

参考例句：

• They were told at first that they should simply expel the refugees.一开始有人告诉他们应该直接将那些难民驱逐出境。
• The headmaster may expel the boy from the school.校长可能要把那个男孩从学校开除。