New tomato, potato family tree shows that fruit color and size evolved together

Study clarifies how diverse fruits from a group in the nightshade family may have evolved

26-Jun-2024 - Fruits of Solanum plants, a group in the nightshade family, are incredibly diverse, ranging from sizable red tomatoes and purple eggplants to the poisonous green berries on potato plants. A new and improved family tree of this group, produced by an international team led by researchers at Penn ...

An avocado a day may improve overall diet quality

26-Mar-2024 - Eating one avocado per day may improve overall diet quality, according to a team led by researchers in Penn State’s Department of Nutritional Sciences. Poor diet quality is a risk factor for many diseases, including heart disease, and many American adults have poor diet quality and do not meet ...

Sugar-reduced chocolate with oat flour just as tasty as original, study finds

How to make food better while still preserving the pleasure from food

14-Feb-2024 - The secret to making delicious chocolate with less added sugar is oat flour, according to a new study by Penn State researchers. In a blind taste test, recently published in theJournal of Food Science, 25% reduced-sugar chocolates made with oat flour were rated equally, and in some cases ...

Study of sourdough starter microbiomes to boost bread quality and safety

USDA grant to fund research that may benefit those with celiac disease

06-Dec-2023 - People with celiac disease, or intolerance to dietary gluten, may soon have morefoodoptions, thanks to an unlikely source: sourdough bread. Sourdough contains less gluten than other breads, making it more tolerable for people with gluten sensitivities. Now, Penn State and Colorado State ...

Herbs and spices tout taste and health as saturated fat, salt replacements

06-Sep-2023 - In response to the low-fat craze of the 1990s, many food companies removed saturated fats from their products, only to replace them with sugars to maintain their palatability. Unfortunately, the resulting products were no healthier than the originals, and the average person today still consumes ...

Discovery of root anatomy gene may lead to breeding more resilient corn crops

Trait results in roots better able to capture more water and nutrients from soil, need less fertilizer, and withstand drought

21-Mar-2023 - A new discovery, reported in a global study that encompassed more than a decade of research, could lead to the breeding of corn crops that can withstand drought and low-nitrogen soil conditions and ultimately ease global food insecurity, according to a Penn State-led team of international ...

Agriculture linked to changes in age-independent mortality in North America

New study is first to tie patterns of age-independent human mortality to food production

24-Jan-2023 - The transition to agriculture from hunting and gathering in pre-colonial North America led to changes in age-independent mortality, or mortality caused by factors that are not associated with age, according to a new study by a Penn State-led research team. The team found that the intensification ...

Getting to the root of corn domestication

Knowledge may help plant breeders

21-Apr-2022 - A unique confluence of archeology, molecular genetics and serendipity guided a collaboration of Mexican and Penn State researchers to a deeper understanding of how modern corn was domesticated from teosinte, a perennial grass native to Mexico and Central America, more than 5,000 years ago. There ...

More intense roasting of cocoa beans lessens bitterness, boosts chocolate liking

01-Mar-2022 - Confection makers who want to develop products containing 100% chocolate and no sugar for health-conscious consumers can reduce bitterness and optimize flavor acceptance by roasting cocoa beans longer and at higher temperatures. That’s the conclusion of a team of researchers who conducted a new ...

Study examines connection between availability of healthy food options, health

21-Feb-2022 - Limited availability of affordable and healthy foods can contribute to poor health outcomes, especially for residents of rural and low-income regions. That is one of the conclusions of a study conducted by an agricultural economist at Penn State who examined the food environment for residents in ...