The mineral content of wheat and rice is lower today than sixty years ago. Why is that and what does it mean for how we eat?
The mineral content of wheat and rice is lower today than sixty years ago. Why is that and what does it mean for how we eat?
The mineral content of wheat and rice is lower today than sixty years ago. Why is that and what does it mean for how we eat?
Treating estimate made 60 years ago based upon the testing techniques of the time as fact vs. an estimate made today based upon more sensitive and accurate testing techniques.
The epitome of junk science.
BTW since most of the micronutrients are found in the brown external area (the bran aka aleurone & pericarp) smaller kernels have higher nutrition concentration than larger ones. Since kernal size can fluctuate by as much as 50% or more for the same variety, so can the nutritional value.
The concentration of micronutrients is also dependent upon the relative availability for the plant. So it can vary wildly in samples from different areas of the field.
The first is an analysis in the change of wild goldenrod today vs a saved sample from the Smithsonian sample from 1842.
The other experiments pumped extra carbon dioxide into rice crops to simulate rising global CO2 levels and it also noticed a percentage decrease in nutrient levels in the rice.
Got around to watching the video. I have read most of the papers they are referencing. A major issue with all of them is they do not understand how plant breeding and varietal selection functions with market forces. They are making a false projections from the data. To be fair, this information is not in the published research as private breeding efforts are doing most of the effort globally.
The key information they are missing is the concept of market slots or "slotting". This is the breeding efforts to create varieties that can match market requirements under different growing conditions. Farmers don't get paid on the total yield but marketable yield. So farmers plant many different varieties through the season that all end up looking similar in the market. Even the third world countries have these market requirements and change their varieties through the season.
Breeding for a slot is usually breeding to regulate growth rates.
A good example is cantaloupes. A variety planted the first of January in southern California or Texas will be ready to harvest around 120-130 days later. Put the same variety in Honduras, and it will be ready in 55 days, be twice the size and have less sugar, flavor and nutritional value. For Honduras they use very slow developing varieties that take 65 days to develop there.
What about third world countries? Take a wild guess where the genetics that professional breeders use mostly come from: Local landraces developed by the farmers to meet their market needs. All it takes is the farmer keeping the plants that best fits their market and they are selecting for different growth rates by default.
C'mon, that's just lazy. Makes me distrust the content of the article.
There is this crazy trick of eating brown rice, just saying.
A sad growing large enough number can't even eat wheat anymore thanks to US ag fucking it up.
edit: Oh fuck off, ableists. Gluten issues in the US are more prevalent than elsewhere. Smd.