Don't waste that Pumpkin! [INFOGRAPHIC]

Don’t throw away your pumpkins right after Halloween! How to effectively use all parts of your pumpkin.

From Pure Organic
October 28, 2010

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Cacao genome 'may help produce tastier chocolate'

Some very important news from the science community  ;-)


By Katia Moskvitch
September 17, 2010

Scientists have released a draft sequence of the cacao genome, in a move bound to give farmers hopes of higher yields, and consumers - of tastier chocolate.  The study, funded mainly by the US chocolate producer Mars, is aimed at ensuring a sustainable cocoa supply.

IT firm IBM and the US Department of Agriculture also took part in the research. The results have been published on the Cacao Genome Database website.

According to the global head of plant science and research at the confectionery firm, Howard-Yana Shapiro, the sequence is of great importance. "This opens the door to improving the lives for 6.5 million small farmers directly, but over 40 million individuals who are involved in the cocoa industry, whether they are brokers, or traders, or manufacturers," he told BBC News.

The scientist explained that despite many people being directly or indirectly dependent on cocoa crops to survive, until now there has been little investment in research to improve the cacao tree.  "As plant breeders, we're always looking after the golden traits: pest and disease resistant, drought tolerance, the ability to adapt to climate change, tree architecture, yield quality, etc," said Dr Shapiro.

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A New Name for High-Fructose Corn Syrup

What's in a name?

A recent New York Times article describes the Corn Refiners Association plea to the FDA for a name change. Author Tara Parker-Pope describes how the trade group believes that "a name change is the only way to clear up consumer confusion about the product." High-fructose corn syrup has gotten a bad rap lately as a contributing factor to America's so-called "obesity epidemic," among other health issues.

What do you think? Would a name change alter consumers' perception of this food additive? What other products have changed their name in an attempt to alter public perception of health risks/benefits? One example: KFC used to actually be Kentucky Fried Chicken but has since tried to minimize the "fried" aspect by using only its initials.

Eggs recalled, a nation scrambles

From CNN
8/24/2010

As you've probably heard, there has recently been a massive egg recall due to a widespread salmonella outbreak.  So how eggs-actly (lame pun intended) did this happen? The video (and the accompanying article) provides a great summary about what is known about the outbreak so far.

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