From the we-don't-need-your-stinkin-GMO department, the Beeb reports that "Scientists have successfully decoded the genome of quinoa, one of the world's most nutritious but underutilised crops." The team was led by Mark Tester in Saudi Arabia.
The South American grain is a hugely popular "super-food" because it is well balanced and gluten-free. However, prices for quinoa have rocketed in recent years as demand exceeded supply. Researchers believe the genetic code will rapidly lead to more productive varieties that will push down costs.
They go on to say that the genome will be used to direct conventional plant breeding methods. Several traits of the 7000 year old South American grain would improve its utility such as reducing the level of saponins which make it bitter. Also, varieties could be bred for other climates. The plant is naturally able to grow in salty soils and another goal is to breed tolerance to irrigation with brackish water (partially desalinated sea water).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 10 2017, @05:39AM
That said, the usual nutrition info can miss out on significant stuff like oxidization (rancidity) of the oils. That's normally not such a problem for fresh food but might be for preserved, canned or very processed stuff. Similar for content of pesticides and other toxins.
Oxidization of fish oil matters:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23863036 [nih.gov]
No surprise that consuming rotten fish is not so good for you, however this does raise the question of dried fish and other preserved fish (the manufacturers might not start out with fresh fish).
Many of those fish oil supplements have high oxidization levels:
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep07928 [nature.com]
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4681158/ [nih.gov]
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/marketplace-fish-oil-omega-3-benefits-safety-1.3326587 [www.cbc.ca]