An ag-tech company says it has discovered a new genomic pathway -- a series of interactions among molecules in a cell that leads to a certain product or a change in a cell and which can trigger the assembly of new molecules, such as a fat or protein –...
The company, called Synomics, says it has identified a way of selectively breeding the Cassava plant to make it more disease resistant, thus solving the twin problems of food security in developing counties and food waste.
Sensitivity to bitter tastes may be why some people eat fewer vegetables, according to a study. Researchers hope to learn more from this type of genetic research to help people with aversions to certain foods eat more vegetables in the future.
Quinoa has the potential to provide a highly nutritious food source to the world’s growing population and a new genetic map can help researchers to breed in useful traits.
Along with taste, appearance, smell and texture, food choice may also be genetic as a study identifies biology as a factor in preferring foods high in either fat or sugar.
Why do some people need to drink more coffee to feel the same effect? It could be down to a gene that controls cells' ability to process caffeine, scientists have found.
The nutritional quality of a mother’s diet during pregnancy has a huge say in determining offspring attributes, such as weight and even susceptibility to chronic conditions, a UK study has speculated.
Sequencing the common bean’s genetic make-up is set to reap nutritional benefits as well as making the pulse resistant to drought, expanding its use beyond the food industry, a study has stated.
There is hope for cheaper and more accessible wheat as a draft genetic blueprint of bread wheat genome is unveiled by the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium.
Mapping of the oil palm tree genome has revealed a single gene responsible regulating its yield, offering the possibility to breed new variants for increased production, say scientists behind the project.
The sweetener mannitol may help decrease the risk of Parkinson's disease by reducing the potentially dangerous 'clumping' of proteins in the brain, according to new research.
Researchers from Monell and Givaudan have discovered a ‘taste terminator’ protein inside taste cells, which may control the way we perceive bitter taste signals.
A poor diet during pregnancy may negatively affect the long term health of offspring by altering genetic factors linked to diabetes, according to new research in rats.
American scientists have reported the development of a variety of
hybrid rice with improved cooking quality and double the protein
content of normal rice.
The moss Physcomitrella's ability to survive dehydration and then
regrow when watered could be applied to crops in drought-stricken
areas without the addition of new genes, according to scientists
who have sequenced its genome.
US government scientists have launched a new online database that
allows for the exploration of the soybean's genetic makeup, which
makes it possible to compare current soybean genetic maps.
A $5m project aimed at identifying and improving the genetic
make-up of barley could lead to higher yields and a better quality
crop, said the US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Friday.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to fund research to
crack the code of the pig genome, something that could lead to
better meat for consumers.
A team of UK scientists will analyse and demonstrate how
bioinformatics could help food companies improve their products,
from pin-pointing allergy-causing proteins to identifying the cause
of batch spoilage.
The UN-backed Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) singles out
two scientists from China and Japan respectively for their
contribution to the advancement of rice research.
Scientists will soon huddle together to unravel the third plant
genome to be sequenced to date. Their work - boosted recently by a
$10.8 million (€9.2m) slice of funding - should shed light on the
health-promoting properties buried...
Scientists are set to build on existing knowledge relating to the
influence botanical extracts may have on our health as US national
body earmarks millions of dollars in funding for a range of new
projects on cereals, fruits, legumes,...
A mother's diet can alter her offspring's development to such an
extent that it changes the baby's characteristics for life, and
potentially that of future generations, say researchers who have
found that nutrition...
The pursuit of genome sequencing continues with the news this week
that scientists from seven nations have revealed the genome
sequence of the bread mould Neurospora crassa.
Scientists at the food research body MTT Agrifood Research in
Finland, in collaboration with University of Liège in Belgium, have
located the gene that regulates total yield, protein and fat
content of milk.
The mysteries of peculiar shaped fruits and vegetables appear to
have been revealed. Scientists in the US have found that disabling
one gene in a tomato can make it pear-shaped. Squash, aubergines
and pears, they claim, probably owe...
Research illuminating the complexities of the celebrated double
helix inherent to all living organisms, DNA, took a further step
forward this week when a team of scientists in Australia claimed
have isolated the gene that produces...
A series of research projects from the UK Food Standards Agency
have concluded that "it is extremely unlikely that genes from
genetically modified (GM) food can end up in bacteria in the gut of
people who eat them," the...
US researchers who recently completed the map of the peanut's
genetic code are not just hoping to make peanuts more nutty but
that the genetic blueprint will also help enhance disease
resistance, cut down on pesticide use and...
Why do individuals in certain families live longer than others? Is
there a genetic type that will dictate a long life? Recent findings
published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
this week suggest that this may...
