The industry of instant food items is very big in the world. You can call it the snack industry. In America alone it is a multibillion dollar market. The biggest share in this is of chips. But there are no less challenges in this industry. Lack of continuous supply of potatoes is a big problem which even cold storages are not able to solve properly. Now two American scientists have developed a method of making healthy chips and fries, which will eliminate the possibility of cancer caused by them.
Professors Jiming Jiang and David Doches of Michigan State University have found a way to bring about a revolutionary change in the potato industry, which will greatly reduce the chances of getting cancer from frying potatoes kept in cold storage.
In cold stores, starch gets converted into sugar at low temperatures. This process is called Cold Induced Sweetening or CIS. Due to this, the chips made from such potatoes become black and contain more acrylamide. This is a carcinogenic substance that is formed when potatoes are cooked at high temperatures and it poses a serious risk of cancer. Although there are ways to reduce starch in cold storage potatoes, these measures are expensive and also change the taste of the chips.
Now there will be only new varieties of potatoes which will not contain cancerous substances. (Symbolic photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Researchers identified specific genes that were responsible for the cis process and act as a regulator in cold conditions. With this discovery, such varieties of potatoes can be developed which will not produce cancer causing substances.
The researchers found a way to identify the regulatory element of the cis gene through gene expression analysis, protein identification, and specific mapping, which would completely eliminate the possibility of its side effects. By eliminating these genes, such potatoes will be produced in which the possibility of producing poisonous substances will be eliminated.
The even better thing is that this research of researchers will be helpful in stopping the process of acrylamide formation in many starchy foods. With this, there will be a possibility of considerable improvement in the storage and distribution of potatoes and not only will the food be protected from spoilage, but the cost will also be reduced. Researchers have full hope that CIS resistant potatoes will become commercially available in the market in the near future.
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Tags: Amazing news, Bizarre news, OMG News, Weird news
FIRST PUBLISHED: February 27, 2024, 08:01 IST
