"Nutritional properties of raw and cooked
Azolla caroliniana Willd.,
an aquatic wild edible plant"
(Click/tap image for larger size.)
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) statistical
results showing clear separation of the control group from all the cooking
treatment groups.
(Click/tap image for larger size.)
Azolla caroliniana
Original Article Published in
"Food Science & Nutrition"
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
Published January 10, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.3904
Authors
Daniel J. Winstead The Pennsylvania State University |
|
Francesco Di Gioia The Pennsylvania State University |
|
Marjorie Jauregui The Pennsylvania State University |
|
Michael G. Jacobson The Pennsylvania State University |
Abstract
Azolla caroliniana
Willd. is an understudied wild edible plant native to the Eastern
United States. Other species of Azolla
have been used across the world for several thousand years as a
livestock feed and as “green manure.” The use of Azolla for
human consumption is thought to be limited by its high total
polyphenolic content (TPC). However, the TPC and nutritional content
of A. caroliniana has not been thoroughly studied. We
measured TPC and other nutrients before and after cooking methods
designed to lower TPC. We found that TPC was 4.26 g gallic acid
equivalent (GAE) kg−1
DW in raw A. caroliniana. All cooking methods significantly
lowered TPC. Protein content was 19% DW, and the apparent protein
digestibility was 78.45%. Our yield was 173 g FW m−2
day−1
and 5.53 g DW m−2
day−1. Azolla caroliniana is a high-yielding
plant with great potential for cultivation and domestication. |
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Wired Magazine contacted Daniel and interviewed him for this article. ("Wired is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics.")
“I’m not out here saying everybody should go eat this stuff right away,” says research technologist Daniel Winstead, who’s studying azolla at Penn State. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. But boy, it’s got so much potential.”
Dr. Jagdish Ladha, a soil scientist and agronomist at the University of California, Davis, who wasn’t involved in the new research: "Ladha reckons that Winstead’s new paper could fuel renewed interest."
"In the economically developing world, all these charms of azolla combine into a sort of super-solution."
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Penn State University Research News Article, February 16, 2024:
"Common plant could help reduce food insecurity, researchers
find"
"Fast-growing aquatic fern has the nutritional content to serve as a
potentially vital food source after a catastrophe and could be relevant now"
Daniel Winstead and Azolla
Azolla in Daniel Winstead's PSU Lab
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