scholarly journals Antioxidants in Potatoes: A Functional View on One of the Major Food Crops Worldwide

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2446
Author(s):  
Hanjo Hellmann ◽  
Aymeric Goyer ◽  
Duroy A. Navarre

With a growing world population, accelerating climate changes, and limited arable land, it is critical to focus on plant-based resources for sustainable food production. In addition, plants are a cornucopia for secondary metabolites, of which many have robust antioxidative capacities and are beneficial for human health. Potato is one of the major food crops worldwide, and is recognized by the United Nations as an excellent food source for an increasing world population. Potato tubers are rich in a plethora of antioxidants with an array of health-promoting effects. This review article provides a detailed overview about the biosynthesis, chemical and health-promoting properties of the most abundant antioxidants in potato tubers, including several vitamins, carotenoids and phenylpropanoids. The dietary contribution of diverse commercial and primitive cultivars are detailed and document that potato contributes much more than just complex carbohydrates to the diet. Finally, the review provides insights into the current and future potential of potato-based systems as tools and resources for healthy and sustainable food production.

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 814
Author(s):  
Riccardo Testa

Agriculture has always played a key role in feeding the world population and ensuring the development of sustainable food production systems [...]


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Antony Ceasar

Phosphorus (P) is an important macronutrient affecting the growth and yield of all crop plants. Plants absorb P from the soil solution as inorganic phosphate (Pi). More than 70% of the arable land is deficient of Pi which demands the supply of an external source of synthetic P fertilizers to improve the yields. The P fertilizers are manufactured from non-renewable rock phosphate reserves which are expected to be exhausted within the next 100-200 years. This poses a great threat to food security since it is very difficult to meet the food production caused by increasing world population without the supply of an adequate P fertilizer. Several efforts have been made in the past decade to understand the mechanism of Pi uptake and its redistribution in plants. In this mini-review, we discuss the details on possible strategies to combat the crisis caused by loss of phosphate rock reserves and to improve the crop yield without much dependency on external P fertilizer. Approaches such as application of functional genomics studies to manipulate the expression levels of key transcription factors and genes involved in low Pi stress tolerance, molecular marker-assisted breeding to develop new varieties with improved yields under Pi-deficient soils and to recapture the Pi released in wastewaters for recycling back to the farm lands, will help improve the crop production without depending much on non-renewable P fertilizers and will also aid for the sustainable food production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. eabc8259
Author(s):  
Izabela Delabre ◽  
Lily O. Rodriguez ◽  
Joanna Miller Smallwood ◽  
Jörn P. W. Scharlemann ◽  
Joseph Alcamo ◽  
...  

Current food production and consumption trends are inconsistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature. Here, we examine how, and under what conditions, the post-2020 biodiversity framework can support transformative change in food systems. Our analysis of actions proposed in four science-policy fora reveals that subsidy reform, valuation, food waste reduction, sustainability standards, life cycle assessments, sustainable diets, mainstreaming biodiversity, and strengthening governance can support more sustainable food production and consumption. By considering barriers and opportunities of implementing these actions in Peru and the United Kingdom, we derive potential targets and indicators for the post-2020 biodiversity framework. For targets to support transformation, genuine political commitment, accountability and compliance, and wider enabling conditions and actions by diverse agents are needed to shift food systems onto a sustainable path.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Gandarilla ◽  
Giovanni A Carosso ◽  
Mohammed A Mostajo-Radji

Sustainable food production in developing countries is challenging, as it requires balancing scalability with respect for local culture and traditions. Bolivia represents a particularly interesting example; with over 36 recognized indigenous groups encompassing over 70% of the country’s population in a relatively small territory, Bolivia is considered one of the most diverse countries in the world (Ferreira et al., 2019). Agriculture in Bolivia employs over 5% of the country’s population and represents over 14% of its GDP. Yet, the introduction of new agribusiness approaches has often been met with resistance by the local communities. For example, the use of transgenic seeds in Bolivia is forbidden by law, with a single exception in soybean production (Avila and Izquierdo, 2006). As result, Bolivia is at a disadvantage in relation to its neighbors in agricultural production. In addition, high costs of transport and export of produce due to the landlocked nature of the country, compounded by logistic difficulties of exporting through a third country, highlight the need of policies that facilitate a larger and more efficient food production.


1995 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Powell

There is growing interest in local organic food nowadays, prompted by concerns about health, care of the environment and excessive transportation and packaging of produce. But conventional marketing systems are not really able to cater for such demands, because they operate on too large a scale. In recent years a solution to the problem has appeared: direct links between growers and consumers, within the same local area. Some of these are growing rapidly, opening up exciting possibilities for the development of sustainable food production and marketing, and for building new links between cities and the countryside.


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