Posted on August, 18, 2021 at 08:46 am
Grains such as teff, millet and sorghum are grown locally, primarily in certain African countries. Credits: giulio napolitano, Shutterstock
Grains have been the main component of the human diet for thousands of years Rice, wheat and corn are the most consumed grains in the world.. However, as the world’s population continues to grow, underutilized grains can help meet dietary needs. Researchers are currently investigating ways to grow African grains more effectively and use them more widely as a food source.
Grains such as teff, millet and sorghum are cultivated and consumed locally, primarily in certain African countries. However, due to its high nutritional value, we are interested in growing it as a source of new grains, such as in Europe.
For example, Teff grains are rich in calcium and protein as well as iron. Contains almost 5 times the level of wheat Or other cereals.This is especially possible Beneficial in preventing iron deficiency anemia, This is common in women. It also contains carbohydrates that are slowly digested, making it ideal for people with diabetes to maintain hypoglycemia.In addition, most Africans Grain crop It is gluten-free for people with celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome. “There are so many health and nutritional benefits,” he said. Dr. Aiswarya Girija, Researcher at Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK.
In addition, many of these African grains produce It can adapt to the extreme weather conditions caused by climate change.Yields of staple food crops such as: Wheat, rice and corn have already been affected by rising temperatures and are expected to continue to decline... Corn crops are expected to be hit hardest and yields can be reduced by up to 7.4%. Therefore, traditional African crops could be a new alternative to make up for this loss. “If you want to grow Teff in a harsh environment, such as a drought-prone area, it will grow well,” said Dr. Giliya. “It is also resistant to water immersion.”
However, in order to grow African grains more widely, it needs to be improved. For example, wheat and corn are increasingly cultivated by African farmers because genetically modified varieties are available to resist pests, saving pesticide costs. In addition, traditional African grains are often low-yielding because they are not grown primarily to increase productivity. “In Africa, there are concerns about the loss of traditional crops as farmers grow more and more wheat and corn,” he said. Dr. Ryja RandResearch scientist at the VTT Technical Research Center in Finland, Espoo.
Better cultivation practices may help.As part of InnoFood Africa In the project, Dr. Rand and her colleagues are working with smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda to strengthen their cultivation skills with an emphasis on training women and young people. They consider, for example, how practices for increasing crop productivity and new strategies for pest control can be improved.
Research is also needed to better understand how to complete the cultivation. Dr. Girija and her colleagues are focusing on Teff yields and investigating how they can be improved as part of that. SUPERTEFF project.. One of the main problems is that long, thin Teff plants often bend as they grow due to buckling of stems and roots known as lodging. This usually occurs before the grain is fully formed, which affects yield. “It prevents seeds from maturing and ultimately leads to poor seed quality,” said Dr. Girija.
The team uses CRISPR gene editing technology to tackle the problem. They target specific genes in Teff plants that are associated with lodging and disable them using a technique called knockout. They want to investigate whether this affects lodging or can make the plant more resistant. “This is very difficult because many genetic transformation experiments have not been done in Teff,” said Dr. Gillya.
Another goal of this project is to screen the teff genome to identify varieties with beneficial properties. Using metabolomics and a genomic sequencing approach, Dr. Girija and her colleagues seek to find properties associated with higher nutritional value, or properties that may help plants cope with environmental stress. This will help identify the best varieties for breeding programs aimed at improving the quality of Teff, which has not yet been done. “We are actually at the beginning of a long-term program to develop new varieties and new approaches across Europe and North Africa,” he said. Professor Luis Mar, Director of Biology and Health Research at Prifysgol Abellis University and a member of the project team.
So far, Dr. Girija and her colleagues have been investigating the mechanisms that make Teff tolerant of drought. They experimented with 11 different Tefs using metabolomics techniques to identify and quantify the amount of various small molecules and chemicals in plant tissues. Their results show that different types of Teff have different levels of flavonoids, metabolites that are known to help protect plants from different stresses such as pathogens and droughts. I did. They were able to identify one variety that was able to maintain the same flavonoid levels in severe drought conditions. The results of this study may help select resistant varieties that can be grown in countries with extreme environments, Dr. Girija said.
Apart from improving cultivation, another challenge is to incorporate African grains into people’s diets. InnoFood Africa We aim to develop new food prototypes that incorporate traditional crops such as finger millet, sorghum, teff, broad beans and amaranth. “They have to be ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare meals and affordable,” said Dr. Rand.
To date, members of the Africa-based team have used the leaves and grains of these crops to develop a variety of flours. The flour was then shipped to Europe for analysis using advanced techniques such as identifying nutritional value. The team aims to show that these crops can be transformed into other forms while maintaining high nutritional value. Project partners have already developed foods such as whole grain pasta, baked goods and crackers made from wheat flour.
Dr. Rand and her colleagues are also interested in finding uses for all parts of these crops. For example, seed skins, leaves and straw are now either discarded or given to animals. However, they can be turned into bio-based plastics that can be used as food packaging. “Foods grown in the fields are better protected from the weather and pests and are easier to store,” said Dr. Rand. “Therefore, this project also has an aspect of the circular economy.”
The team is working to collect more data on the unused parts of these crops. For example, you need to analyze the contents to see if they are suitable for manufacturing bio-based packages. In addition, we plan to quantify the amount of waste at various locations and assess whether there is enough to commercialize it. “This knowledge doesn’t exist at this time,” said Dr. Lantto.
Dr. Lantto hopes that the knowledge gained from InnoFood Africa’s food sector will help entrepreneurs in both Europe and Africa develop new edible products that can be sold internationally. The team plans to create a virtual platform to share what they have learned during the project.
The introduction of new nutritious foods can be particularly useful in urban areas of Africa. Obesity and an unhealthy diet are aggravating problems on the continent, and people often consume a lot of fast foods that are high in fat and sugar. “We need to ensure that more knowledge is incorporated after the project,” said Dr. Rand. “If Africans can continue to grow and grow these traditional crops [yields] It may help resolve the deteriorating nutritional situation. ”
Source: Florida New Times