Humans consume over 30,000 different types of plants and animals. However, in most cases, people know very little about their components. Researchers have only thoroughly analyzed the molecular composition of a few hundred of the most common foods, leaving a significant gap in people's nutritional knowledge.
Red quinoa grown in China. Image Source: STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
According to Science magazine, last week, food scientists and activists launched a new database aimed at bridging this knowledge gap. The initiative is part of the Food Periodic Table Initiative (PTFI) led by the Rockefeller Foundation in the United States, which aims to document a vast array of bio-molecules found in food, with the long-term goal of improving agriculture, nutrition, and health.
"Our planet harbors an incredible edible biodiversity," said Selena Ahmed, a ethnobotanist at Montana State University and global director of PTFI, during the unveiling of the database on April 24. However, most compounds in the plants, meats, fish, and dairy products people consume have never even been named, representing the "dark matter of food." For example, quinoa contains 6,000 different proteins, most represented by mysterious strings of numbers and letters.
This database allows for an analysis of the complexity of food in a way that was previously impossible. PTFI has gathered information on approximately 500 foods, with over 1,600 more in the pipeline. Unlike traditional food composition tables that mainly focus on constant nutrients like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, the new database includes a broader range of compound information such as micronutrients and specific metabolites, some of which may help prevent diseases. To collect this data, PTFI collaborates with over 20 research labs worldwide. To date, the Rockefeller Foundation and other funders have invested over $30 million in this multi-year project.
"With the rapid growth of the world's population... producing enough food is clearly a priority," said Bruce German, director of the Foods for Health Institute and chair of the PTFI Advisory Committee. However, he noted that integrating agricultural production into a few high-yield crops has left some regions of the world malnourished and resulted in deaths. To address this issue, PTFI focuses on lesser-known indigenous edible plants that are better suited to local growing conditions than some popular commercial crops and are more nutritious.
Ultimately, organizers hope that this database will enable researchers to compare the nutritional value of foods produced in different regions and using different technologies, including large-scale monoculture and organic farming. It will also track how climate change affects the molecular content of plants. John de la Parra, director of the Global Food Investment Department at the Rockefeller Foundation, stated that this information will help "feed humanity in a renewable, equitable, and nutritious manner."
Jess Fanzo, a food systems expert at Columbia University who is not involved in the project, suggested that this initiative could "bring nutrition research into the 21st century." She highlighted that this will not only aid in training scientists worldwide but also encourage the adoption of "uniform global food analysis standards," making it possible to compare results from different labs.
