Supermarket produce can tell time

The vegetables at your local market or grocery store are still alive and can tell time.

A new study (Janet Braam in Current Biology), indicates that the way produce is stored has a significant effect on its nutritional value and health benefits. Fruits and vegetables, like animals, respond to circadian rhythms, and their biology is modified in response to different lighting conditions, a reaction that is programmed to defend against insects. These responses to lighting conditions affect the health value of the produce.  

For example, cruciferous vegetables (e.g.: cabbage), contain glucosinolates, which initiate the secretion of detoxifying enzymes that eliminate carcinogens from an organism (i.e.: cabbage fights cancer). The researchers put cabbage heads into light-dark circadian cycles and found that glucosinolate concentrations were almost twice as high during the day, reaching a peak in the hours just before dusk. The research indicates that it might be beneficial to store produce (at the market, or at home) in light-dark cycles, and consume the produce in daylight (and, preferably, just before dusk). It might also be best to harvest crops, freeze, and preserve them at the appropriate time.

I heard a rumour that the research was initiated because of a random remark by Janet Braam’s son. She was explaining to him that the food value in plants was known to change depending on the time of day. Her son mentioned that perhaps he should time his meals to coincide with the peaks of nutrition. Apparently, nobody had thought to check whether picked produce retained the circadian rhythm of the parent plant, hence the research. I also heard that Janet Braam wasn’t expecting the results that were found, and was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes it helps to think outside the box… 

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Spinach, iron, Popeye, and my youth

The only reason I ate spinach when I was a kid was because I thought it might build my muscles and make me strong, like it did for Popeye. I asked my Mom, who told me that it was the high iron content in spinach that did the trick. It tasted like contaminated dirt, but I grinned and bore it, checking my biceps attentively after consumption.

But is spinach really such a great source of iron?

In 1870, a certain Dr. Emil von Wolf calculated that spinach has ten-times the iron of any other vegetable; so far, so good. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 1937 that anybody checked his calculations, and it turns out that spinach has about the same iron content as many other vegetables; apparently, Dr. von Wolf had misplaced a decimal point during his calculations (update 2012-08-20 (see comments): this part of the story appears to be an interesting  myth; it is vitamin A in spinach that was significant to Popeye’s creator; unfortunately, vitamin A is not known as a muscle-mass-increasing substance, so the thrust of my (hopefully) humorous post remains relevant).

Spinach does have a high nutritional value, rich in antioxidants, but Popeye’s choice of canned spinach is a low nutrient source compared to fresh, steamed, or quick-boiled. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, folate, magnesium, betaine, vitamin B₂, potassium, calcium, vitamin B₆, folic acid, phosphorous, zinc, niacin, copper, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. And yes, it is a good source of iron, just not as magnificent as my boyhood self, with toothpick arms, had anticipated.

Popeye’s bulging biceps after consuming a can of spinach must have been due to the placebo effect.

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T-rays and Smart Phones

Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas (Dr. Kenneth O, professor of electrical engineering, and his colleagues) have developed a CMOS chip that will enable smart phone cameras to ‘see through’ objects (walls, skin, et cetera). The camera will use signals in the terahertz range (THz) of the electromagnetic spectrum. The T-ray, as it is being called, has a much less intense radiation field than the X-ray, and may provide health professionals with immediate benefits [photo credit (Kenneth O & Dae Yeon Kim): UTD]

There are numerous positive applications, among them, scanning for skin cancer, breast cancer, tooth decay, and damage inside building walls.

I suppose that in the hands of a creep there are negative applications as well: it probably has the ability to ‘see through’ clothing. Improper cancer self-diagnosis and hypochondria may be more prevalent as well.

It must be more difficult every day for people to write science fiction.