March 2003

Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals, Essential Oils, Wasps, Roses and Barley

From start to finish, new technologies cover every aspect of food and non-food production systems, changing the way Canadians grow, process, preserve, transport, distribute and even shop for food. The agriculture and agri-food sector is on the leading edge with other high-tech industries, but it never strays from its roots - a fundamental part of everyone's life. See www.agr.gc.ca/res_e.phtml

Blueberries and The Brain

Blueberries may feed the brain. Food chemists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Kentville, NS, prepared blueberry extracts for biomedical researchers at University of Prince Edward Island to test in experimental models of stroke. In a recently published study, they indicating antioxidants in blueberries may mitigate brain damage in stroke. Post-stroke analysis showed brain cell damage in rats fed a blueberry fruit extract was much less compared to rats given a traditional diet. Brain damage results from a stroke due to a lack of oxygen during blood vessel blockage and, when the blockage is removed, due to an accumulation of oxygen radicals in the blood. The researchers believe antioxidants operate by "quenching" oxygen radicals responsible for the death and damage of brain cells. The study is another indication of the role of nutrition in promoting good cardiovascular health. Further work could allow blueberry producers to make specific label claims.
Wilhelmina Kalt, AAFC, (902) 679-5757

Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada believes functional foods and nutraceuticals offer significant opportunities for market diversification and reduced health care costs. Research on plants, animals and seafood helps identify ingredients which improve human health and well-being. Identification of new components can generate business activity beyond the farm gate. The AAFC site at www.agr.gc.ca/food/nff/enutrace.html has information and links to research centres, other government departments, industry associations and institutes, and a searchable database of Canadian companies involved in this growing new market.
Patti Miller, AAFC, (204) 983-4583

Lifesavers

Certain fruits and other foods may be lifesavers. They have the ability to protect against everything from strokes to aging. These health benefits are the basis of the fast-growing field of nutraceuticals and functional foods. The industry produces and markets products with benefits beyond the bounds of normal nutrition. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, international sales of functional foods are worth roughly $56-billion a year and are growing quickly. Atlantic Canada is looking for a bigger piece of the action and will work on that goal at a conference, March 27-28,in Dartmouth, NS. Organized by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the event will bring in experts from as far away as Finland to discuss marketing opportunities and research.
Brian Goldsworthy, AAFC, (902) 426-2610

The Spices of Life, Naturally

Spices that once lured European explorers around the globe are inspiring Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists in their quest for natural, food preservatives. Microbe-killing potential is found in the essential oils of some every day culinary herbs, spices and aromatic plants. In Summerland, BC, researchers have blended the oils of coriander, dill, cilantro and eucalyptus in concentrations able to inhibit unwholesome microorganisms such as some bacteria and yeasts. Combining the fractions was found to boost their antimicrobial effects. Researchers are working to identify the ideal blends of essential oils to maximize their value as natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals used in food preservation.
Pascal Delaquis, AAFC, (250) 494-6367

Chickpeas Please

In Europe and the Middle East, chickpeas are used in many dishes, but, in Canada, their nutritional qualities and culinary diversity are not so well known. This suggested a niche opportunity to AERC Inc. (Agriculture Environmental Renewal Canada Inc.), now collaborating with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to explore the development of this crop. AAFC's research centre in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, which has focussed on the post-harvest storage of the young leaves and seeds, knows much about the nutritional benefits of chickpeas. They are a good source of protein, ideal for consumers with dietary restrictions or those simply looking for a new food alternative. Chickpeas have antioxidant qualities, are low in fat and can be eaten after minimal processing.
Marie Thérèse Charles, AAFC, (450) 346-4494

By Any Other Name

We do not live by food alone. Beauty and color fulfill other needs. Ornamental roses, popular through recorded history, continue to arise from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research. The hardy Explorer and parkland series still enjoys well-deserved popularity while a new series is proving itself offstage. The "Canadian Artists" series appears to hold even more promise as beautiful roses suitable to Canadian conditions. Within the next few years, a plant-breeding team with members in Morden, MB, and St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, will begin commercialization of hardy, disease resistant Canadian Artists roses. The Prairie series is also well established in many gardens across Canada. Royalties are collected and are reinvested in research.
Campbell Davidson, AAFC, (204) 822-7201
Claude Richer, AAFC, (450) 346-4494 ext. 221

Hot Embers Cull Problem Wasps

This pinhead-size problem has a lot of gall. The tiny blueberry stem gall wasp lays eggs in tender shoots where the hatched larvae, feeding on soft tissue, cause small, often berry-sized, swellings. These galls not only reduce or stop flowering in wild berries, they dry into easily harvested, round pellets that become blue tinged during harvesting and handling. They are not easily culled by color and clearly reduce the quality and value of berry products. In Kentville, NS, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research team tackling this unpalatable problem found the prudent use of traditional pruning of blueberry fields by burning helps eliminate the insects. Adding fire to the normal practice of mechanical mowing every second or third cropping cycle is recommended to ensure consistently good yields at reasonable costs.
Kenna Mackenzie, AAFC, (902) 679-5731

Champion in the Brewing

There soon could be Calder in your cup or, rather, in your beer stein. A new Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada malting barley, marketed as Calder, has promising qualities for producers and brewers. Strong input from farmers and industry has encouraged AAFC plant breeders in Brandon, MB, to develop such superior new varieties to help Canada become a world leader in the production and export of malt and malting barley. Calder is a high yielding, disease-resistant barley, high in malt extract and resistant to hull peeling. Grain is malted by steeping in water, germinating for several days and kiln drying.
Bill Legge, AAFC, (204) 726-7650 ext. 223

Canadian Agriculture Safety Week, March 12-19

There are few things more dangerous in rural Canada than driving farm machinery on public roads. Those hazards are recognized in this year's theme for the Canadian Agriculture Safety Week, "Farm Safety and Street Smarts." A study by the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program showed 45 per cent traffic-related incidents occur during July, August and September. The leading causes of on-road, farm fatalities and injuries are tractor collisions with motor vehicles. One in 14 farm fatalities result from those collisions. Two of three collisions concern tractors. Through the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) Fund, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada joins with the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other partners to promote Canadian Agriculture Safety Week, March 12-19.
Judy Guernsey, Canadian Agriculture Safety Association, (902) 494-1767