Category: Agriculture

Beyond the grapes: what influences the flavor of different wines? Rocks, microbes and climate all impact the taste of your favorite wine

Mary Sabuda

You sit down at a restaurant and peruse the menu for the best wine to pair with your dinner. Do you choose a red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, or something crisper and lighter like Riesling? Do you choose the cheapest READ MORE

You may be getting catfished by catfish Some types of catfish and its products are more likely to be mislabeled than others, though for the most part, producers are honest.

Erica Curles

A recent study of catfish products found that 7 of the 80 products tested were mislabeled, of which 5 were from restaurants and 2 were from grocery stores. Deep-fried products were the most likely to be mislabeled, possibly because it’s hard to tell what kind of fish is used. The most expensive dishes, such as the baked fish at restaurants, were correctly labeled.

Bulking Up: Increasing Muscle Mass in Fish with Gene Editing Researchers increase the amount of edible flesh in red sea bream by editing the gene for a hormone that restricts muscle growth

Erica Curles

There may be concerns with genetically modified organisms (GMO), but the effectiveness of gene editing in developing more productive plants and animals for the agriculture industry can not be argued. With the rise of cheap and simple gene editing technologies, READ MORE

Three For The Price of One: Testing Sustainable Aquaculture Systems Growing multiple species in one system saves water, reduces effluent waste, and produces more food

Erica Curles

Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) may be the future of aquaculture. Compared to traditional farms that only grow one species, IMTA farms produce multiple edible products and provide increased sustainability. These integrated systems use the waste products from one species to READ MORE

Are Pink Salmon the Key to Better Fish Farming? Pink salmon experience less intestinal damage from eating soy than other salmon species

Erica Curles

In the aquaculture industry, one of the most important and most costly parts of raising fish, especially carnivorous fish, is providing them with the ideal feed for growth and health. Fish meal, which is essentially ground up smaller fish, is READ MORE

Farmed Fish Need More Exercise to Out-Swim Wild Fish Proper breeding practices and adequate exercise can help farmed fish out-swim wild fish

Erica Curles

Many people believe that farmed fish wouldn’t do very well in the wild, but do direct experiments comparing farm-raised to wild fish support this belief? In a collaborative study, researchers from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center and the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute READ MORE

Smart Farms Should Clean Their Greens No foodborne illness outbreaks have yet been associated with microgreens, but recent research suggests that there is still a risk.

Gina Riggio

Microgreens are a specialty crop that is growing in popularity. It is most often served as a garnish, flavoring, or embellishment on dishes at upscale and gourmet restaurants. Microgreens are primarily grown by small climate controlled operations run by just READ MORE

Cheese, Wine, and …. Fungi? Fungi play a major role in the making of some of our favorite foods

Mary Sabuda

From mushrooms, cheese, and bread to beer, wine, and sake, fungi play an important role in the foods we eat, whether we know it or not. These incredible organisms and their products can be great food sources that are packed READ MORE

Edible Food Packaging May Cut Down on Waste Edible films made from fruits and vegetables are making the future of preserving food look delicious and nutritious

Erica Curles

Have you ever been pre-occupied and taken a bite out of something, only to get a mouthful of plastic wrap or paper lining? Well in the future, that bite could be as edible and maybe as delicious as the food READ MORE