Characterization of starches isolated from Mexican pulse crops: Structural, physicochemical, and rheological properties

This work aimed to characterize and compare the physicochemical properties of four pulse starches: bean, chickpea, lentil, and pea. Chemical proximate analysis, elemental composition, morphological grain characterization, crystalline structure, thermal analysis, FTIR analysis, and pasting properties were conducted. The proximate analysis shows that these starches have low fat, mineral, and protein content but high amylose values ranging from 29 to 36 % determined by colorimetry. Despite the high amylose content, the starches did not exhibit the typical behavior of an amylose-rich starch, with high peak viscosity and low breakdown and setback. It was found that this behavior was likely due to the large granule size of the ellipsoidal, spherical, and kidney-shaped granules and the high content of some minerals such as Na, Mg, K, Fe, Mn, P, and Si. The study also found that all pulse starches simultaneously contain monoclinic and hexagonal crystals, making them C-type starches. The findings were verified through the Rietveld analyses of X-ray diffraction patterns and differential scanning calorimetry, in which bimodal endothermic peaks evidenced both types of crystals being gelatinized.

Diversifying agrifood systems to ensure global food security following the Russia–Ukraine crisis

The recent Russia–Ukraine conflict has raised significant concerns about global food security, leaving many countries with restricted access to imported staple food crops, particularly wheat and sunflower oil, sending food prices soaring with other adverse consequences in the food supply chain. This detrimental effect is particularly prominent for low-income countries relying on grain imports, with record-high food prices and inflation affecting their livelihoods. This review discusses the role of Russia and Ukraine in the global food system and the impact of the Russia–Ukraine conflict on food security. It also highlights how diversifying four areas of agrifood systems—markets, production, crops, and technology can contribute to achieving food supply chain resilience for future food security and sustainability.

More than Maize, Bananas, and Coffee: The Inter- and Intraspecific Diversity of Edible Plants of the Huastec Mayan Landscape Mosaics in Mexico1

More than Maize, Bananas, and Coffee: The Inter- and Intraspecific Edible Plant Diversity in Huastec Mayan Landscape Mosaics in Mexico. Global emergencies such as biodiversity loss and climate crisis urge us to identify and mainstream crop genetic resources in complex indigenous farming systems to understand their role as genetic reservoirs and identify synergies in productive landscapes between development, conservation, and food security. We aimed to characterize the inter- and intraspecific diversity of food plants of the Tének (or Huastec) in Mexico and their distribution within and between the different land-use systems along a tropical altitudinal gradient. Tének farmers manage a highly diverse and dynamic food biota in swidden maize fields, agroforestry systems, and home gardens. Even with a small sample size, our study provides a complete analysis of the food crop diversity in the research area. The Tének cultivate a high number of 347 registered species and variants, most of them at medium altitude. Intraspecific diversity dominates (69%). All land-use systems of the agroecosystem complex serve as a specific pool for plant genetic resources, and there is a low similarity between and within systems and localities, especially at the intraspecific level. The proportion of rare and unique food plants is high. We recommend an agroecosystem approach and prioritization for conservation as well as other efforts related to the in situ crop genetic capital.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12231-021-09520-9.