food safety

Growing safer potatoes

January 15, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

We are often advised to avoid eating green areas on potatoes. The green comes from chlorophyll that occurs naturally when potatoes are exposed to light. It is harmless but when it is there, it can be accompanied by a natural toxin – a substance called solanine, which is a steroidal glycoalkaloid or SGA. Sunlight can produce solanine as well as chlorophyll. Solanine is produced by plants to protect them from insects.

Solanine is bitter tasting so one is unlikely to consume much of it. But consuming enough of it can lead to gastrointestinal complications like diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and sweating.

Researchers at the University of California Riverside have discovered a way to eliminate toxic compounds from potatoes, making them safer to eat and easier to store. They have identified a key genetic mechanism in the production of SGAs. They found a specific protein that controls the production and believe it will be possible to control where and when SGAs are produced. Thus, it may be possible to have SGAs present in the leaves of potato plants, thereby protecting them from insects, while having none in the potatoes themselves. By limiting SGAs to non-edible parts of plants, they can be safer and more versatile plants. For example, modified potatoes could be stored in sunny places without worry and would always be safe to eat.

Plants have evolved ingenious ways to balance growth, reproduction, and defense. Our growing understanding of these mechanisms can allow people to redesign crops to meet modern needs, increase food safety, and reduce food waste.

**********

Web Links

Growing safer spuds: Removing toxins from potatoes

Photo, posted October 14, 2013, courtesy of Elton Morris via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Natural Habitats And Strawberry Farms | Earth Wise

April 22, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

According to a new study led by researchers from the University of California – Davis, conserving natural habitat around strawberry fields can protect farmers’ yields, their bottom line, and the environment. The study also suggests that conserving natural habitat in this way has no detectable threat to food safety.

In this study, which was recently published in the journal Ecological Applications, the research team conducted surveys and experiments at 20 strawberry farms along California’s Central Coast. This region is responsible for 43% of the nation’s strawberry production.

The researchers found that strawberry farmers were better off with natural habitat, like forests, grasslands, wetlands, and shrubs, around their farms than without it. According to the study’s models, adding natural habitat can reduce crop damage costs by 23%. Removing natural habitat can increase costs by as much as 76%.

Importantly, the strawberry farms with natural habitat surrounding them showed no signs of increased fecal contamination. While bird feces were regularly encountered on the ground, only 2 of 10,000 strawberries examined show signs of direct fecal contamination. Those contaminated berries would be discarded during the hand-harvesting process.

These findings run contradictory to current best practice recommendations that support natural habitat removal around strawberry farms in order to decrease bird fecal contamination and crop damage. These food safety requirements were a consequence of the deadly outbreak of E. coli in 2006, which was traced back to spinach grown in this region.

It seems like our agricultural landscapes can both support and benefit from biodiversity.

**********

Web Links

Natural habitat around farms a win for strawberry growers, birds and consumers

Photo, posted June 16, 2011, courtesy of the USDA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Reducing Slavery In Seafood

August 28, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The seafood industry is one of the largest employers in the world. But according to a 2016 report, the seafood industry also contains widespread forced labor. Forty seven seafood-producing countries were reported to utilize forced labor. The seafood hub countries of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Peru, and the Philippines were also reported to use a significant percentage of child labor.

Climate Change And The Global Food System

December 24, 2015 By WAMC WEB

One of the most troubling aspects of global climate change is its potential impact on the production, distribution and quality of food. A report issued at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference focused on identifying climate change impacts on global food security. Food security is the ability of people to obtain and use sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food. Even without the impact of climate change, food security is a challenge because of increasing population, poverty, and changing eating habits.