Farmers know that a healthy pollinator population is critical for their crops. One way to gauge how healthy a population and its environment are, is through examining how much diversity there is: the more kinds of organisms and species, the healthier the system. 

In the desert southwest, researchers are studying bee populations that are quite diverse — and highly specialized. The extreme conditions of the desert have led bees there to develop unique adaptations in order to survive: some species only feed on and pollinate particular plants, some have developed ways to go long periods without water, and other solutions are still being discovered. 

Researchers are looking at the bees’ genetic profiles, behavior, and more to learn about how they can benefit pollinator populations everywhere. Learn more about these fascinating bees.

Cooking with Science Recipes

Do you enjoy cooking? We've got you covered from soups to desserts! Get cooking with these great recipes featured in our Cooking with Science videos.  Each delicious recipe features nutritious ingredients and was created by a professional chef. 

Want to add a little science to your cooking? Check out the Cooking with Science video series to learn more about the featured ingredient used in each recipe.

The Amazing Apple

The domesticated apple, Malus domestica, is an important fruit crop grown in most of the world. The United States is a major apple producer and consumer. The United States ranks third in apple production and Americans ate an average of 9 pounds of fresh apples in 2021  according to USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.

Researchers believe that central Asia—Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in particular—is likely the ancestral home of familiar domestic apples (Malus x domestica) such as Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh. Centuries of selection and propagation across Asia, Europe, and North America resulted in an array of apple cultivars rich in quality and cultural significance.

Apples Are an All-American Success Story

Apples are an abundant and healthy fruit that’s available year-round in most markets. ARS has played a key role over the years in the quality, variety, and production of apples. For example, the apples today can be stored for as long as 9 months, and they’ll still remain crisp, thanks to controlled-atmosphere-storage methods devised by ARS. Our fruit-breeding research has enabled farmers and nurseries to provide consumers with more abundant, healthy, and flavorful new varieties every year. ARS is collecting and preserving the world's bounty of apple genestock, so that the apples of tomorrow may be even sweeter, crunchier, and better than ever. Never before have growers had a better chance against pests and diseases in the apple orchard, thanks to new, nonchemical biocontrols. ARS scientists have worked to harness naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria and turn them against apples' enemies. And our researchers have developed robotic tools built on AI technology to drastically improve the way apples are picked, sorted, and treated for pests and diseases.

ARS researchers are at the forefront of innovative new technologies in orchard management to help growers reduce losses, maximize yields, and provide consumers with a sweet (and sometimes tart!), crunchy, healthy snack. Check out our research highlights below:

Diabetes — a disease that affects how your body uses blood glucose (sugar) — is a major health concern for millions of people worldwide. Because their bodies are unable to produce enough insulin, for people with diabetes, glucose management is essential. Without proper medical care, diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage.

Medications can improve glucose uptake, but they can also have side effects. These drawbacks have spurred increased research to find natural foods and supplements that can help manage the disease.

ARS researchers have found an interesting possibility. They examined the ability of colored rice bran extracts to stimulate glucose uptake. Learn more.

Knowledge, data, and understanding of soils is vital for advancing agriculture and society. Until recently, however, Native American farmers lacked the foundational soil property information they needed to sustainably produce culturally important crops with improved yield and to promote food security on their tribal lands.

ARS researchers in Fayetteville, AR, are working with the Quapaw tribe to create the first-ever high-resolution digital maps of soil properties and land-use interpretations for their lands in northeastern Oklahoma. 

Watch this video to learn more.

Sorghum bran, often a low-cost byproduct of sorghum milling, can enhance gluten-free bread's nutritional value without compromising its flavor, according to a study published in the Journal of Food Science.

While gluten-free foods are in demand to meet consumers' medical needs and dietary preferences, these foods sometimes are deficient in nutrients and lack taste and texture that appeals to consumers. In gluten-free bread, wheat flour is typically replaced with refined flour and starches from other sources. Adding dietary fiber, a carbohydrate found in whole grains that has important health benefits, to gluten-free bread can lead to a hard texture and more rapid staling. Sorghum bran could provide both good flavor and nutritional value. Read this article to learn more.

ARS Innovations Help Combat Food Loss and Waste

Food loss and waste is a monumental problem and while the Agricultural Research Service does not receive direct funding for food loss and waste programs, research is a critical factor for finding innovative, sustainable solutions for the food loss and waste problem.

Take a look at a sampling of ARS's innovative research some of which has already been introduced in the marketplace including projects to improve growing practices, breed fruit and vegetables that can better handle storage and transportation, find environmentally friendly alternatives to pesticides and sprays, develop new technologies to make processing and delivery more efficient, and turn post-harvest waste into usable foods and materials, including biofuels. 

[Back to Innovations for Reducing Food Loss and Waste]

Take the Healthy Eating Challenge

A healthy eating routine is essential at every stage of life and can have positive effects that add up over time. It’s important to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy (or dairy substitute). When deciding what to eat or drink, choose options that are full of nutrients, and make every bite count.

But how do you know if the food you eat is nutritious? Are you eating all of your food groups daily? Do you know if the foods you are eating contain added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats?

About the Experiment

Take the Nutrition Challenge, to find out if you are eating more of what you need, and less of what you don’t. It’s easy, it can be life changing, and you’ll probably be surprised at the results.

 What You'll Need

• Laptop or smartphone with internet service

• Pencil and paper or a logsheet (see appendix A)

• Calculator

Let's Do This!

For 3 days, keep track of what you eat and drink for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks.

1. Log your food intake either using a nutrition data app or on the logsheets provided in this challenge, and try to be as specific as possible, including the brand name of the food (ex: Life cereal) or specific type of fruit, vegetable, or protein (ex: Gala apple).

2. Try to also include the quantity that you eat, using the serving size on the packaging as a guide.

3. For fruits, log onto MyPlate and check out the fruit table on the page. Do the same for vegetables, proteins and grains.

Option 1: Using FoodData Central and the Logsheets

Once your food types and quantity are logged onto your sheet, use the nutritional label on the food containers to determine the nutritional content of each food item eaten. For grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and other items without a nutritional label, visit USDA's FoodData Central.

In the search bar, type in the food item and try to be specific at first. If the search results do not align with what you ate, be a little more general. 

On the results page you will see several options: Most items, including fruits, vegetables, and proteins, are typically found under "SR Legacy Foods" or "Branded Foods". Choose the selection that fits best.

Now it's time to do a little math. Use the portion dropdown to best align with the amount of that particular food that you ate. For example, if you ate 200 grams of a corn muffin, and the portion dropdown is set at 100 grams, you'll want to double the nutritional content when logging it down on your spreadsheet. If you ate a quarter of the portion, then divide the nutritional content by 25 (percent).

Read through the nutritional content (either from the food container or FoodData Central) and log the amount of the following:

• protein (g)

• dietary fiber (g)

• calcium (mg)

• potassium (mg)

• iron (mg)

• sodium (mg)

• added sugar (g)

• saturated fat (g)

Keep in mind that fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy foods naturally do not contain added sugars. But, if they are processed, they could contain added sugars. Remember to log these amounts based on the portions you ate.

Option 2: Using A Nutrition Data App

There are many Apps on the market that can calculate and log your daily food intake. When choosing an App, make sure it contains a large inventory of foods and can determine and log portion size. For each food item, you will want to enter the food item and portion consumed. If you cannot find an App to accomplish this, use the FoodData Central method (Option 1).

Read through the nutritional content (either from the food container or FoodData Central) and log the amount of the items below.

• protein (g)

• dietary fiber (g)

• calcium (mg)

• potassium (mg)

• iron (mg)

• sodium (mg)

• added sugar (g)

• saturated fat (g)

Keep in mind that fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy foods naturally do not contain added sugars. But, if they are processed, they could contain added sugars. Remember to log these amounts based on the portions you ate.

Are You Eating Healthy?

Now that your chart is complete, let’s see how it compares to USDA’s recommended nutrient consumption. Log onto USDA’s DRI Calculator. Fill out the required data about yourself and click Submit. Scroll down to view the recommended intake per day for the 8 nutritional items that you tracked. Compare with your spreadsheet (or on your App) and notate which items you met the recommended guidelines and which you did not. Now let’s take a look at your sugar, sodium, and fat consumption. The Dietary Guidelines are below:

Daily Added Sugar Intake

Less than 10 percent of calories per day starting at age 2. Avoid foods and beverages with added sugars for those younger than age 2.

Daily Sodium Intake

No more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day and even less for children younger than age 14.

Saturated Fat

Less than 10 percent of calories per day starting at age 2.

Transfats – Trans fats are unhealthy and should be avoided in your diet. Trans fats can be found in many foods – including fried foods, baked goods, and spreads. It’s worth noting that products can be listed as “0 grams of trans fats” if they contain 0 grams to less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. You can also spot trans fats by reading ingredient lists and looking for the ingredients referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils.”

What Did You Learn?

1. Observe your logsheets, paying particular attention to where you met and did not meet your recommended guidelines.

2. In what areas did you meet the My Plate Plan?

3. In what areas did you exceed or not get enough compared to the My Plate Plan?

4. What type of foods should you be eating more of daily?

5. What type of foods should you be eating less of daily?

6. After taking this challenge, should you alter your daily/weekly food intake, and if so, what food changes should you make?

7. What are your big takeaways from this challenge?

Resources

For more information on eating healthy, making a plan and exploring MyPlate, visit https://www.myplate.gov.

How Does Your Plate Stack Up?

What you eat matters, from your overall health to your stress levels to your everyday activities. What we put on our plates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner affect our mood, energy, and well-being.

What do your food plates look like, and how do they compare to the USDA’s MyPlate? Let’s find out.

About the Experiment

In this challenge, you’ll first see how your plates stack up against MyPlate. Next, you will determine which food groups you need more of or less of to meet your targeted goals for eating. Finally, you will assess what changes you can make overall to your diet to help ensure a healthy lifestyle.

 What You'll Need

• Laptop or smartphone with internet service

• Pencil and paper or a logsheet (see appendix A)

• Calculator

Let's Do This!

Let’s start by looking at your current food plate selections. Use a sheet of paper or the spreadsheet in this challenge to log your daily amount (cups or ounces) of fruits, vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy (or dairy substitute). If you are unsure which items fall under those categories, visit What is MyPlate, scroll down to “MyPlate Messages,” and click “More Information” under each food group.

Next, go to the USDA MyPlate site and click “Start” under "Get Your MyPlate Plan"

Answer the questions and then click “Calculate Food Plan.” You will then receive a count of your recommended daily allotment of calories. Click the calories link to get a more detailed look at your dietary guidelines, including your daily recommendations for fruit, protein, vegetables, grains, and dairy (or dairy substitute).

Click “Read more” for each food group to view the daily recommendations by age and also to see how much of a certain fruit item, such as apple sauce, counts as a cup/ounce.

Use your sheet of paper or the spreadsheet to record how much of each food group you are eating per day (ex, 1/2 cup of vegetables) and how much of each food group is recommended daily (ex, 2 cups vegetables). Calculate the difference.

How Did Your Plate Stack Up?

1. Which food groups did you meet for your daily recommended intake?

2. Which food groups did you not meet for your daily recommended intake?

3. How do your food plates compare with the rest of your family or friends?

4. Which food group is your biggest challenge of meeting the guidelines and why?

5. What most surprised you about what you eat and what is recommended?

6. How can meal prep, including making a detailed grocery list and planning meals in advance, help you meet your nutritional goals?

7. How will this challenge change your daily food plate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacktime?

Resources

For more information on eating healthy, explore the Nutrition Corner.

For more fun and interesting projects, check out AgLab's Science Projects.