Ribena pure fruit syrups for the manufacture of milkshakes had been done at the Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station in North Somerset using a pectinase enzyme process; Ribena was essentially invented there by Vernon Charley, a scientist at the University of Bristol in 1933. The blackcurrant variety was found to contain high levels of vitamin C. The drink was launched in 1938 under the name Ribena (from the botanical name for the blackcurrant, "Ribes nigrum"). During the Second World War, other fruits rich in vitamin C, like oranges, became almost impossible to obtain in the United Kingdom, due to
Epicoccum nigrum "E. nigrum" were reported in children living in a damp and mouldy home, with daily exposure to "E. nigrum" in the shower. The fungus has been found on human skin and in spit samples. It does not typically cause systemic infection, although one case has been reported in an immunocompromised patient. "Epicoccum nigrum" has been treated under a variety of names in the genus "Epicoccum". It was first identified in 1815 by botanist Johaan Heinrich Friedrich Link. Today, all previously identified species are considered to be different variants of the species "E. nigrum". These include: "E. purpurascens", "E. diversisporum", "E.