texture

A common plant could be a valuable food source

April 4, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A new study by researchers at Penn State University has found that a common water plant in the eastern U.S. could be a valuable green fertilizer, a feed for poultry and livestock, and even a life-saving food for people in the event of a catastrophe or disaster.

The plant is the Carolina azolla. It is sometimes called mosquito fern, fairy moss, or water fern. It is a water plant that grows very rapidly; it can double its biomass in two days. There are many varieties of azolla, but the Carolina strain is more digestible and nutritious for people than any of the others.

Azolla species have been used across the world for centuries as a livestock feed and as a fertilizer. They have not been good for human consumption because of high polyphenolic content, which can be 10 times more than that of common food plants. Polyphenols are abundant compounds in many plants and, in low concentrations, are beneficial antioxidants. But in high concentrations they act as antinutritional agents.

It turns out that the Carolina azolla – described as having a crisp texture and neutral taste – has a polyphenolic content comparable to many fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Furthermore, cooking significantly decreases the polyphenolic content in foods.

Carolina azolla has significant nutritional value including high mineral yields and calories, and moderate protein content. Whether it is used as a quick-fix in a disaster situation or as part of a long-term resilience plan, the study concludes that Carolina azolla holds excellent potential for use as a fast-growing, short-season crop that requires minimal effort to grow and process and could be used to increase food security in a hungry world.

**********

Web Links

Common plant could help reduce food insecurity, researchers find

Photo, posted October 8, 2020, courtesy of Dana L. Brown via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Hybrid beef rice

March 19, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

There is growing interest in innovative and more environmentally friendly ways to provide protein in our diets. We’ve heard a great deal about lab-grown or cultured meats and about protein derived from insects. Whether either of these things achieves mainstream acceptance remains to be seen.

Scientists at Yonsei University in South Korea have developed a method for creating cultured beef rice – truly a hybrid food. The method, described in the journal Matter, results in a nutritious and flavorful food that could be more affordable and have a smaller carbon footprint than current protein sources.

The researchers took rice grains – which are porous and have organized structures – and seeded them with beef muscle and stem cells and allowed them to culture for 9 to 11 days. The harvested final product is a cell-cultured beef rice.

The hybrid beef rice was steamed and subjected to various food industry analyses, including nutritional value, odor, and texture. The hybrid rice has 8% more protein and 7% more fat than regular rice. It was somewhat firmer and more brittle than ordinary rice. Hybrid rice with higher muscle content had beef- and almond-related odor compounds, while those with higher fat content had compounds corresponding to cream, butter, and coconut oil.

The hybrid rice has low food safety risks and a relatively easy production process. If commercialized, the hybrid rice would be far less expensive than beef. The researchers are optimistic that it can be commercialized. They are continuing to work on the processing, hoping to further boost the nutritional value. Like other unconventional foods under development, the biggest question is ultimately whether people will want to eat it.

**********

Web Links

By growing animal cells in rice grains, scientists dish up hybrid food

Photo, posted January 26, 2010, courtesy of CIAT / Neil Palmer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Tepary Beans | Earth Wise

September 2, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Tepary beans are an ancient crop native to the northern part of Mexico and the southwestern part of the U.S.. They have been grown in those places by native peoples since pre-Columbian times. They are still grown in Native American reservations in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. One can purchase them from some small farms in that region.

What sets tepary beans apart from other beans is that they are among the most drought- and heat-tolerant legume crops in the world. They can be grown without irrigation under conditions that are not viable for other crops. They can be consumed by people like many other kinds of beans, and they can also provide forage for livestock with better nutrition content than many other plants. They seem to be a very attractive option for a crop in the changing climate. What is lacking, at present, is large supplies of tepary seeds to be planted.

Researchers at Texas A&M have been funded to bring tepary beans into modern cropping systems and diets. The goal is to develop tepary bean cultivars with high biomass and yield that are still well-suited to drought and heat conditions. Getting the beans to the point of widespread commercialization will take several years. The end result should be of interest to pulse growers, seed industries, and food companies across the U.S.

Tepary beans are higher in fiber and protein than most other beans. They come in several different colors, each of which has unique flavor and texture characteristics. The white ones have a naturally sweet flavor. The brown beans are slightly nutty in flavor and are similar to pinto beans. If the Texas program is successful, we may all be eating tepary beans some day.

**********

Web Links

Tepary Beans Offer Producers A Low-Input, Climate-Resilient Legume Alternative

Photo, posted August 25, 2017, courtesy of Katja Schulz via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Bees And Plastic

July 17, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Wild bees in Argentina have recently been found to be constructing nests entirely made of flimsy plastic material left on farms and scientists don’t know why.

In 2017 and 2018, researchers at Argentina’s National Agricultural Technology Institute built wooden, artificial nests for wild bees. These bee species burrow into nests to individually lay larvae rather than having a large hive with queens and workers. The artificial nests provide hollow openings that bees generally fill with cut leaves, twigs, and mud.

Sixty-three wooden nests were constructed and three were found lined entirely with plastic. The bees carefully cut bits of plastic in the shape and size of fingernails and arranged them in an overlapping pattern in their nests. The plastic seems to have come from plastic bags or films, which have a similar texture to the leaves bees ordinarily use to line their nests. And, in fact, leaves were readily available to the bees making use of plastic.

This is the first time that bees have been seen making nests entirely out of plastic, but for years scientists have known bees were incorporating plastic into their building materials. Research is needed to determine the potential impact plastic might have on bees, but the nest building shows that bees are highly adaptive to changing environments.

Plastic often forms a threat to wildlife in the form of microplastics that can be consumed. But there is no evidence that bees are consuming plastic. Some researchers have speculated that the plastic in bees’ nests may form a barrier against common nest issues like mold and parasites.

At this point, it is not clear whether it is a good thing or a bad thing that some bees are choosing plastic over natural materials, but it is certainly interesting.

**********