Due to a growing demand of food production worldwide, new strategies are suggested to allow for sustainable production of food with minimal effects on natural resources. A promising alternative to the application of chemical pesticides is the implementation of crops resistant to insect pests. Plants produce compounds that are harmful to a wide range of attackers, including insect pests; thus, e...

One group of insects highlight some of the potential economic damage that loss of biodiversity may entail for the future of human food crops.

Domesticated food crops are derived from a phylogenetically diverse assemblage of wild ancestors through artificial selection for different traits. Our understanding of domestication, however, is based upon a subset of well-studied 'model' crops, many of them from the Poaceae family. Here, we investigate domestication traits and theories using a broader range of crops. We reviewed domestication...

An increasing interest in organic agriculture for food production is seen throughout the world and one key reason for this interest is the assumption that organic food consumption is beneficial to public health. The present paper focuses on the background of organic agriculture, important public health related compounds from crop food and variations in the amount of health related compounds in ...

Infrared spectroscopy is a rapid, nondestructive analytical technique that can be applied to the authentication and characterization of food samples in high throughput. In particular, near infrared spectroscopy is commonly utilized in the food quality control industry to monitor the physical attributes of numerous cereal grains for protein, carbohydrate, and lipid content. IR-based methods requ...

Plants provide food and medicine besides protecting the environment and are very important for survival of peoples. Human beings have adapted to the present life style of crop cultivation for food from hunting gathered nearly 10,000 years ago, probably due to population explosive, climate change, over hunting may be as simple disserve for more food [1]. Wild edible plants are important in the l...

The safety of food produced from genetically engineered (GE) crops is assessed for potential risks of food allergy on the basis of an international consensus guideline outlined by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (2003). The assessment focuses on evaluation of the potential allergenicity of the newly expressed protein(s) as the primary potential risk using a process that markedly limits risks ...

Better Crops/Vol. 84 (2000, No. 2) Functional foods are defined as foods that contain bio-active ingredients thought to enhance health and fitness. The active ingredients are phytochemicals, such as lycopene in tomatoes, allicin in garlic, or isoflavones in soybeans (Table 1). These phytochemicals, also called “nutraceuticals”, may be extracted and consumed as supplements, or may have therapeut...

Since the 1920s, American farmers have received various forms of federal support in an effort to keep farmers farming and provide Americans with an affordable, stable food supply. Wheat, soybeans, and especially corn are currently the most highly subsidized crops; products made from these crops, including high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fats, have flooded the market as cheap means for...