Humans consume a diverse array of plants and animals in their diet, totaling more than thirty thousand varieties. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the molecular components of most foods is superficial. Presently, scientists have conducted thorough analyses of only a few hundred commonly consumed foods, leaving significant gaps in our nutritional knowledge base.
To address this deficiency, global food scientists have recently initiated an ambitious database project, part of the “Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI)” led by the Rockefeller Foundation. The project aims to meticulously document the numerous biomolecules in foods, hoping to foster long-term development in agriculture, nutrition, and health sectors.
“The diversity of edible biota we have on our planet is truly astonishing,” stated PTFI global director and botanist Selena Ahmed from Montana State University at the database launch ceremony. She highlighted a practical issue that, in the variety of plants, meats, fish, and dairy products we consume, the vast majority of compounds are unidentified, akin to “dark matter” in the world of food. For example, quinoa, a well-known food, actually contains about 6,000 different proteins, most of which exist only as codes of numbers and letters.
The new database project will change the status quo by providing unprecedented means of analyzing the complexity of food. So far, PTFI has documented data on approximately 500 food items and is working to collect information on another 1,600 plus. Unlike previous databases that focused on macronutrients like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, this database will include more comprehensive data, such as trace nutrients and unique metabolic by-products, which may be highly beneficial for disease prevention.
This global data collection effort has received support from over 20 research laboratories. The Rockefeller Foundation and other funding bodies have invested over thirty million dollars into the project.
In the context of an ever-growing population, producing enough food has become a major challenge today. Bruce German, director of the U.S. Institute of Healthy Foods and chair of the PTFI advisory committee, mentioned that focusing too heavily on a few high-yield crops has led to a dietary homogeneity in certain global regions, resulting in an increase in mortality rates. To tackle this issue, PTFI focuses on lesser-known local food crops, which often adapt better to local conditions and have higher nutritional value than commercial crops.
Ultimately, project organizers hope that researchers will use the database to compare the nutritional value of foods produced in different regions and with different cultivation techniques, whether it’s large-scale monoculture or organic farming. Additionally, the database can help track the impact of climate change on the molecular composition of plants.
John de la Parra, the head of the global food investment division at the Rockefeller Foundation, expressed that this information will help humans obtain food supplies in a renewable, equitable, and nutritious way. “The project is expected to bring nutritional research into the 21st century,” said Jess Fanzo, a food systems expert at Columbia University not involved in the project, who believes it will encourage the unification of global food analysis standards and make research results from different laboratories comparable.
This article was originally published in the “Science and Technology Daily” on April 30, 2024, on page 1, major news section.
