Healthier Foods On The Horizon (NAPS)—Whatwill they think of next, people often ask as they marvel at a new technological gizmo. How about using technology to help familiar tools from our past become the latest breakthrough? How about honey? Honey has long been favored for its soothing qualities as well as its sweetness. Nothing like a spoonful of honey in a cupof tea to quiet a raging sore throat, for example. But soon a spoonful of honey may do more than make the medicine go down. It may be the medicine. In addition, think about decaffeinated coffee that tastes as good as the real thing without the kick, and pizza with a rich, red tomato sauce that fights cancer or protects against some disease. Researchers are exploring these innovations right now, using a science with roots in the dawn of agriculture: biotechnology. Researchers in Holland are using biotechnology to produce honey that would deliver medicine—a potentially sweet alternative to the sting of a doctor’s needle. Scientists are also exploring the use of biotechnology to grow coffee beans that are naturally decaffeinated, which means the treatment to remove caffeine and some flavor would not be required. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Purdue University are also using biotechnology to develop tomatoes that contain 2.5 times more lycopene than their traditional counterparts. Lycopene, which contributes to the red coloring of tomatoes, is also an excellent antioxidant and is believed to enhance immune responses. That means tomato-based food like pizza, ketchup or spaghetti sauce could one day lead to a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and other seriousillnesses. Biotechnology also benefits the environment, as some biotech crops like herbicide tolerant soybeans help make no-till farming possible, which in turn helps conserve topsoil and reduce runoff of sediments into rivers and streams. Other biotech crops like Bt cotton require less pesticide applications, which helps the farmers’ bottom line. Biotechnology began when humansfirst learned to domesticate wild plants to improve their food supply. It continues today with the ability to precisely alter a plant to deliver a desired quality, like pest resistance. It promises a tomorrow of crops and foods that provide more and better food, and healthier lives for a world in which we can only hope malnutrition is a distant memory. For more information, call 1-800-980-8660 to order a free copy of the “Biotechnology: Good Ideas Are Growing” brochure, or visit www.whybiotech.com.
