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The Perfect Strawberry?
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00:08Humans have been picking wild strawberries since the Stone Age.
00:14About 400 years ago, growers began cross-breeding the biggest and sweetest varieties.
00:20Now German breeders believe they've finally done it and created the perfect strawberry.
00:30The world of food, on this edition of DW's Science Show.
00:35Welcome to Tomorrow Today.
00:41Stefan Krieger dreams of breeding the perfect strawberry and earning sweet royalties from
00:47it.
00:48Wow.
00:51Incredible.
00:53This combination is wow.
00:55There's nothing else like it.
00:57This is a whole new league.
01:00The berries are so big, growers and pickers would love them.
01:04And consumers definitely would too, 100 percent.
01:08This is a really, really good strawberry.
01:12But will this new cross ever reach supermarket shelves?
01:16Developing a new variety can take up to 15 years.
01:19And the road is full of pitfalls.
01:24At this horticultural research center, Simon Schreie is a bit like Heidi Klum, searching
01:30for the next top model of the strawberry world.
01:33He evaluates the most promising candidates from around the globe.
01:39Are they resistant to disease and easy to propagate?
01:42And how much fruit do they produce?
01:45Right now, repeat-fruiting varieties are in demand.
01:49Here we have single-crop varieties.
01:51They produce fruit once a year.
01:53Over there, we have repeat-fruiting or ever-bearing varieties.
01:57They flower and fruit throughout the growing season, so here they produce almost twice the
02:02yield.
02:02And because tabletop growing systems are expensive, these varieties help make that investment pay
02:08off.
02:11When growers invest in high-tech production systems, they naturally expect a good return.
02:17But when it comes to flavor, repeat-fruiting varieties still don't match the classic single-crop
02:22strawberries.
02:25So can breeders combine the best of both worlds, high yields and great taste?
02:33That one had good flavor, but it could be a little firmer, so it's best for growers who
02:38sell directly to customers.
02:42After testing texture and flavor, Simon also measures sweetness.
02:52Any new variety has to be better than what we're already growing.
02:55We know today's varieties inside out.
03:01Flavorless, mass-produced strawberries?
03:04Simon believes they'll become a thing of the past.
03:11Now for the final stop on the road to the perfect strawberry.
03:16Stefan Kriege helped build this operation.
03:19Today, he's back for a visit.
03:21This is Europe's largest strawberry plant nursery.
03:25More than 100 million cold-stored plants leave here every year, ready to be grown.
03:32We supply 3,500 customers in 26 countries.
03:36If you eat a strawberry in Germany, there's better than a 50-50 chance the plant came from
03:41beautiful Techte.
03:44Experts believe strawberries will increasingly be marketed by variety name.
03:48And for better flavor, customers may be willing to pay a little more.
03:53Stefan Kriege's latest creation, the Goddess variety, is due to enter the mass market sometime
03:58soon.
03:59It's a repeat-fruiting variety, but sweet and delicious.
04:04Sweet.
04:05Wow.
04:06It's like someone added sugar.
04:09If you're hungry, you could eat two baskets of these.
04:14Last year, I gave Goddess plants to about 10 people.
04:17Eight of them called me and asked, how many can we get?
04:20They taste heavenly.
04:23That's what it's all about, really.
04:26I'm curious to see what else we can achieve.
04:32Could this technology help fix the world's colossal food waste problem?
04:37If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases
04:42on the planet, behind only the US and China.
04:46Research in apples shows a simple way to intervene.
04:50Once ripe, in Germany, the picked fruit is usually kept in cold rooms for up to 12 months.
04:56But once the apples are in there, up to 1 in 10 spoils.
05:00At peak season, that translates to up to 40,000 metric tons of apples wasted, roughly
05:05the weight of the Titanic.
05:08One of the main reasons that number is so high is once they're in cold storage, it's
05:13really difficult to find out how the apples are doing.
05:16This is Tuani Hoffman, a researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering
05:21in Potsdam.
05:22It's important to keep the cold room doors closed to maintain the conditions uniform inside.
05:28Because if you constantly open the door, you will change all the environment, how the air
05:33flows, how the temperature is distributed.
05:37So once they're in cold storage, you can hardly look at the apples, let alone see inside them.
05:44Their condition has to be guessed at, from factors like the temperature and humidity of the air
05:49inside the storage chamber.
05:50But it's really difficult to see how the fruit is getting on in the cold rooms.
05:55An environment that's even a little bit too humid, for example, is not good news for the apples.
06:01The condensation process on the surface of the fruits, it can lead to the proliferation
06:07of fungi or bacterias or any microorganisms which are there.
06:11Because imagine we already have the nutrients from the fruits, and now we are also offering
06:15water, so we are just making a favorable condition for them to proliferate.
06:21That's where these sensors come in.
06:23We are not only collecting data and logging it into the sensors, but we are also streaming
06:30in real time.
06:31So we can see in real time what is happening inside the cold storage, which usually it's
06:36a closed system.
06:38Currently, operators generally would only see how many apples have spoiled at the end
06:42of the cold storage period.
06:45But in Potsdam, a twin of the fruit made from repurposed Christmas baubles filled with
06:53the synthetic apple mimics the health of the actual apples in cold storage and gathers information.
07:00Sensors directly on the fruit measure condensation.
07:03This means the cold room conditions can be adjusted quickly after the reading is taken.
07:08Now we also can get information directly from the fruits, within the bulk of fruits.
07:14And this is really important because we know exactly what are the needs of these fruits.
07:20The sensors could be used to check the health of fruit kept at warmer temperatures as well,
07:25like melons or papayas.
07:27In Indonesia, food is often lost because of the way it's harvested.
07:31Efforts to curb the loss are also hampered by a lack of access to technology.
07:36Felicitas Schneider is an international expert on the topic.
07:39In countries like Indonesia, I think technology can be a major game-changer.
07:46Especially AI-supported technology can support the building of resilient and sustainable food systems.
07:55I think the challenge for Indonesia is to implement it on a national scale
08:00because technology is only as good as the users of the technology.
08:05One group of such users could be smallholder farmers.
08:09They dominate Indonesia's agricultural sector.
08:12Improving their access to technology could be a way to minimize the loss of crops after harvesting, for example.
08:20It's especially important with smallholders to provide a good framework for the implementation of technology.
08:27So, for example, you could provide trainings and awareness-building campaigns within the smallholders.
08:37Researchers say interventions in the food chain are one of the most effective ways to help solve the problem.
08:43If technology like these sensors can be rolled out at a national level,
08:47it could be a major boost in the fight to reduce food waste worldwide.
08:55Do you have a science question?
08:57Then send it to us as a video, text or voice message.
09:01If we answer it in the show, then we'll send you a little gift as a thank you.
09:06So, just ask.
09:12Why does urine have an intense, characteristic odor after consuming asparagus?
09:19Whether green or white, shoots from the asparagus are viewed as a healthy addition to any diet.
09:25But eating it can have a noticeable side effect.
09:28Soon after consumption, your urine can acquire a powerful odor.
09:32Or at least, in some people it can.
09:35Lots of people would recognize the scent, though some can't smell it at all.
09:41Confused yet?
09:43Okay, let's start at the beginning.
09:46Researchers believe that what ultimately leads to that smelly tinkle is a small molecule the plant contains lots of.
09:54Called asparagusic acid, it's pretty odorless.
09:57But see those two S's down at the bottom?
10:01Those represent sulfur atoms.
10:03And sulfur is an element that plays a role in lots of powerful scents.
10:08It's a major component in skunk spray, for instance.
10:12And it gives garlic its characteristic pong.
10:17After you chow down on the vegetable, your body can turn innocuous asparagusic acid into stuff that reeks a lot
10:24more.
10:24Like dimethyl sulfide, one component in the smell of rotting meat.
10:31Or methanethiol, which helps give some cheeses their distinctive tangy smell.
10:37And not just cheeses.
10:39The molecule is also associated with bad breath.
10:44But not everyone's metabolism turns asparagusic acid into lots of stronger smelling stuff.
10:50Some people don't have detectable asparagus pee.
10:54Why?
10:54Either their bodies don't break down asparagusic acid in the first place,
10:59or don't turn it into noticeable levels of stinky compounds.
11:03What makes things even more complicated is the sense of smell itself.
11:08Special cells inside your nose are studded with different kinds of highly specific receptors.
11:14When the right scent molecules dock on, you smell that specific smell.
11:19But if you don't have the genes to make receptors for the stinky compounds in asparagus pee,
11:25you won't smell them, even in your own urine.
11:28So bottom line, not everyone who eats asparagus will necessarily produce strongly scented characteristic pee after.
11:36And even in those who do, not everyone will be able to smell it.
11:42How can we feed a growing global population without pushing our planet to its limits?
11:49From rethinking livestock farming to reinventing how food is produced,
11:54the future may also include lab-grown food.
11:59The global appetite for chocolate keeps flowing and growing,
12:03but the price of cocoa beans has been anything but sweet,
12:06soaring by up to 400% in just two years.
12:09With alternatives urgently needed, a Swiss company is turning to cocoa grown in bioreactors.
12:16Inside, cells multiply and later become the raw material for chocolate,
12:20made on the shores of Lake Zurich instead of in Ghana.
12:23The challenge for food brewer right now is that it isn't making money yet.
12:27Approval is a long and expensive process.
12:32Sticking it out with products that you can't yet sell is very difficult, if not impossible.
12:39For now, the company finances itself with plant-based cocoa substitutes.
12:44The hurdles are even greater when it comes to fake meat.
12:48Bioreactor steak remains far from market-ready, and some start-ups have already failed.
12:57I personally don't expect to see cultivated meat products on the market in the immediate future.
13:03There are still various technical and biotechnological problems to be resolved.
13:09Then there's consumer acceptance, and the legal side has to be carefully examined.
13:16In Pamplona, Spain, food tech startup Cocos is focusing instead on rethinking traditional meat.
13:25You can look at the form, and here I can change a few things.
13:30For example, more fat on the outside, more fat in the meat, the maturity,
13:36and I can also add omega-3 or vitamin D.
13:44Cocos spent seven years developing its machine, scanning steaks in a CT scanner
13:49to build the mathematical blueprint for recreating the cuts of meat.
13:54Now its first industrial system is ready.
13:57In seconds, it can create rashes of bacon made from chicken meat and plant fat.
14:02And by the time it hits the pan, it looks like this.
14:11This product has 30% less CO2, 66% fewer calories,
14:16plus we can reach the 19% of the world's population who don't eat pork.
14:25Bacon may not be everyone's favorite, but this version is surprisingly tasty,
14:30made from leftover meat pieces from the slaughter process.
14:35And the same method works with beef, too.
14:38Whether fish or meat, this approach ensures that slaughtered animals are used more efficiently.
14:45Back in Switzerland, Food Brewer has already produced its first chocolate from lab-grown cocoa.
14:51But does this spell competition for traditional cocoa farmers?
14:59We won't be displacing any jobs because global demand for cocoa is so high
15:04that with this technology we only cover less than 1% of the international market.
15:12In fact, the company believes bioreactor cocoa could even benefit farmers.
15:19There's less generational renewal in agriculture now.
15:23Farmers' children no longer want to work in the fields.
15:26There are other opportunities.
15:28In this sense, we're looking for ways to attract these children, who were born in the age of technology,
15:34to work in this kind of agriculture.
15:40If all goes according to plan, cocoa from Switzerland could be being turned into chocolate in the US within a
15:47year.
15:47In the EU, stricter approval rules mean it will take a few months longer.
15:54Tropical rainforests are being cleared and burned to make way for oil palm plantations.
15:59Wildlife loses habitat, greenhouse gas emissions rise, and pesticides harm both people and the environment.
16:06Palm oil may be everywhere, but producing it comes at a heavy cost.
16:10Now scientists in Frankfurt are testing a different approach,
16:14producing key fatty acids industrially instead of using tropical crops.
16:20Magnified cells, molecules, and microscopic biological machinery.
16:25For the past six years, Martin Grinninger and his team have been developing alternatives to fatty acids derived from palm
16:31oil.
16:36There's enormous demand for fatty acids of different chain lengths.
16:41The food industry needs them, of course.
16:44But shorter chain fatty acids are also in high demand.
16:48You'll find them in cosmetics, detergents, and shower gels.
16:52So industry wants a lot of them.
16:56Together with PhD students Damian Ludig and Christian Gusenda,
17:01Grinninger has reprogrammed an enzyme that normally builds fatty acids in living organisms.
17:07Like a microscopic assembly line, it can now produce tailor-made fatty acids with exactly the properties industry is looking
17:15for.
17:17Enzymes are tiny biological machines found in every living organism.
17:21Humans have them, yeast has them, every living thing does.
17:25We take an enzyme originally found in mice, modify it and put it into yeast.
17:30Yeast is an amazing organism and people have been working with it for thousands of years.
17:36Here's how it works.
17:38Acetic acid can be produced in different ways, for example from waste wood or discarded food.
17:44It feeds the yeast.
17:46Equipped with the custom designed enzyme, the yeast becomes a tiny factory.
17:52Inside a bioreactor, it produces the desired fatty acid in the form naturally found in palm oil.
18:00Getting there took years of work.
18:02The team came up with ideas, tested them, refined them and started again.
18:08Thousands of experiments demanded scientific skill, imagination and a great deal of patience.
18:16That's how research works.
18:18You take inspiration from what came before, test one idea after another, and then suddenly a small change unlocks something
18:26big.
18:29The science has shown what's possible.
18:31The next challenge is scaling the process for large scale production, with the help of industrial partners.
18:40The interest from industry is already there.
18:44One company has expressed serious interest and contributed to parts of our work.
18:49We've also received a great deal of positive feedback.
18:53But we'll need an industrial partner to help bring the product to market.
18:57That's something a university can't do on its own.
19:03The first products could reach the market within five years, most likely in cosmetics, where high-quality palm oil is
19:11in demand.
19:13Replacing low-cost palm oil in food production will take much longer.
19:18While oil palm plantations won't disappear any time soon, this research brings us one step closer to a more sustainable
19:26future.
19:29When you hear soul food, you might think of comfort classics.
19:34Mac and cheese, barbecue ribs or crispy fried chicken.
19:38But behind the name lies a rich history that's often been reduced to stereotypes.
19:43There is absolutely no way in the world that black folks only ate scraps.
19:50How people are making decisions about what they're eating.
19:59A lot of times when we think about the foods of especially black folks, we often point to, oh, they're
20:05just eating soul food.
20:06And so their food decisions are essentially entangled in the past.
20:09According to the narrative, enslaved Africans in the Americas were only given scraps to eat, the part of a pig
20:17that whites didn't want, what's called offal, ears, snouts, tails and innards.
20:23The story goes that the enslaved people often used hot spices and sugar to make these parts tastier or deep
20:30fried them.
20:31Dishes like that still exist today, but they're generally viewed as bad for your health and belong to a cuisine
20:37colloquially referred to as soul food.
20:40We have eaten a variety of foods.
20:44So that whole scraps narrative is one that really captures the sort of 1800s to 1865 at the end of
20:54enslavement.
20:55Probably a traveler's account that saw black folks eating offal or the leftovers or the entrails.
21:03But that absolutely is not the whole of African and African American diet.
21:09Psyche Williams Forsen wrote a book entitled Eating While Black.
21:14She's a professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland.
21:18When you have people who repeat those narratives without knowing the history, you repeat the stereotype.
21:30Another stereotype is that black people love to eat watermelon and chicken.
21:36Back in 2008, when Barack Obama was first elected U.S. president, a caricature circulated online of the White House
21:45with a huge watermelon patch on the front lawn.
21:50There was nothing cute about it. It was absolutely a racist trope.
21:55Its roots can be found in the post slavery era in the U.S. when some black people sold watermelons
22:01to earn money.
22:02A slice resembles a wide smile, which is how black people were often portrayed.
22:07Always grinning, always happy, always wonderfully delighted to be in servitude to white folks.
22:15We were accused of being watermelon eating darkies, chicken stealing darkies.
22:21That narrative goes all the way back to enslavement when we were often accused of stealing chickens.
22:33But stereotypes aside, another discussion is going on.
22:38Statistics show that black people in the U.S. are more likely to be overweight,
22:42and they suffer from heart disease and diabetes more often than whites or Latinos.
22:48An unhealthy diet is usually blamed, one rich in foods high in fat and sugar, like soul food or fast
22:56food.
22:58Yeah, I think one of the things that motivated me to do this research was this discussion, this conversation about
23:06health disparities, right?
23:08Sociologist Joseph Awudzi Jr. wrote his dissertation on the black population in Jackson, Mississippi.
23:16And I wanted to know how black people up and down the socioeconomic ladder make decisions about what they eat.
23:23I started with people who are homeless. I spent all my days with them. I ate what they ate. I
23:28only ate when they ate.
23:30And then after three and a half months, through connections that I had made, I moved up to people who
23:35are in poverty.
23:36Zanani had two children at the time, has three children now.
23:40What I did was just spend time with Zanani and start to see what social structures is she experiencing?
23:47The term food deserts is often used to describe areas where there's not enough healthy food available.
23:55Many times where socially disadvantaged people live, where supermarkets offering fresh produce are far away.
24:04The scenario often goes hand in hand with an oversupply of cheap, unhealthy offerings from fast food restaurants.
24:14But does that description apply to where people like Zanani, the single mother, lived?
24:20If we look at Zanani's food availability by just drawing a circle around her address and seeing what kinds of
24:26grocery stores are available to her, I don't think we will capture as much.
24:30This includes thinking about how she gets housing. It includes how she thinks about getting health care, transportation.
24:39I think for me, food availability includes all those things.
24:43And if we're able to think about her food, what she has access to as being related to these other
24:51structures, I think it gives us a lot more analytical insight.
24:56But back to the topic of soul food, which doesn't just include ingredients like meat, fat and sugar, but often
25:03also plant based components like sweet potatoes, beans, kale and okra.
25:09Foods popular among foodies today because they're considered healthy.
25:15It's a variety of foods that in combination would be most familiar to anyone who has southern roots, but also
25:23an African-American community.
25:25We help to build the cuisine and the culinary legacies of the United States of America and globally.
25:35There's absolutely no way we survived off of merely scraps.
25:40Please don't reiterate the single story.
25:48That's it for this edition of Tomorrow Today, your science show on DW.
25:54Thanks for watching and see you again soon.
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