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Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
We better watch we don't sleepwalk into another potato famine, says expert
'I'm not a betting man, but if I was, my money would always be on the pathogen' SPUD WARING We better watch we don't sleepwalk into another potato famine, says expert Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE United Nations International Day of the Potato is celebrated today - but boffins fear the humble spud is under global threat. Experts at the renowned James Hutton Institute, that researches land and crops from its centres in Dundee and Aberdeen, will mark the occasion by discussing the pressures facing mass potato production. 4 Professor Ingo Hein from the James Hutton Institute. 4 Matt Damon in the 2015 hit film The Martian. 4 Matt Damon growing potatoes on Mars in the film The Martian. And there are serious topics to discuss as spuds feed two thirds of the eight billion people on planet Earth. Chief Features Writer MATT BENDORIS speaks to professor Ingo Hein, Head of Potato Genetics, at The James Hutton Institute. WHEN people tell Professor Ingo Hein there could never be another potato famine like the one that killed a million people in the 19th Century, he remarks: 'And many thought they'd never be another pandemic.' The devastating disease - known as the blight - struck Ireland in 1845 leading to mass starvation. It was caused by the arrival of a pathogen - a microorganism that causes disease - called Phytophthora infestans that saw crops fail all across the Emerald Isle. Professor Hein said: 'And it wasn't just Ireland as crops failed on the West Coast of Scotland too. 'Ireland's population has never recovered as so many died or immigrated. They had eight million people before the 1840s but they have never reached that number again.' Three years ago the United Nations decided to launch the International Day of the Potato as so much of the world - especially developing countries - rely on the humble tattie to feed their populations. Professor Hein, who has been at the Scottish Institute since 1999, explains: 'Potatoes are the only main crop that has all the amino acids of life. 'So if you eat potatoes with butter, you're sorted. You literally have everything the body needs. 'Sure, it might not be the best diet in terms of diversity, but you can live off of it. 'That's why it was so popular in Ireland. It was the only crop they could afford to feed themselves.' He adds: 'It's also likely that if man ever gets to Mars, that will be the first crop grown there - just like in the Matt Damon movie The Martian. 'That's because potatoes need seven times less water to grow than cereals, but converted into calories they are much more efficient.' But one of the UK's favourite potatoes, the King Edward - first grown in 1902 - hasn't changed its genetic make-up in over a century, along with the Maris Piper - introduced to the UK in 1966. And Professor Hein believes that makes them vulnerable to a new disease in the same way Covid became the first pandemic since the Spanish Flu which killed an estimated 50 million people from 1918. He said: 'I'm not a betting man, but if I was, my money would always be on the pathogen. 'You've seen it with Covid. There was a pathogen, we had vaccines, they protected against it, and then the pathogen changed. 'It's exactly the same with diseases that affect potatoes. Because the way we have to grow potatoes on a large scale, it's an easy scenario for a pathogen to actually gain a foothold, adapt, and then have a negative impact. 'They are mainly spread by aphids which are wind-dispersed. So it doesn't know any boundaries. It will jump from one country to the next country.' The Professor believes that all the advancements in chemicals and pesticides are not the answer, insisting natural genetics is the key. He said: 'Here at the Institute in Dundee we have the Commonwealth Potato Collection. 'Many don't look like potatoes, but they are potatoes. And they really have the diversity that we need to protect the crops from pathogens and pests. 'But also from a changing environment, which the potato is ideal for, because it actually grows on every continent apart from Antarctica. 'So it's incredibly versatile and can be adapted. But the key really is in the wild species of potato. And that's what we are tapping into.' He adds: 'We can even breed them to be really nice looking potatoes. So they will have all the resistances, but will be different to Maris Piper. But still just as tasty.' The James Hutton Institute is now working towards establishing a National Potato Innovation Centre, which aims to harness the combined strengths of research and industry across the UK to future-proof potato as a crop. They are also trying to come up with ways to combat nematodes - parasitic worms that have hit parts of Scotland's potato production. Professor Hein, 51, said: 'Once your land is contaminated with these nematodes, you cannot grow seed potatoes - which is the first stage of production - on your land. So we're actually losing land at a rapid rate. 'The Scottish Government has recognised this issue and they've put funding in to try and address this.' But while the UK may be able to navigate another famine by importing more from India and China - the biggest potato producers in the world - he believes not so well off nations will suffer. He said: 'Potatoes are a huge staple food in Africa, Asia and South America, so many of these places would struggle and there would be really bad consequences. 'Many people just don't think about the potato as it's such a huge part of our daily life and is plentiful, but we must make sure they remain that way.'
Sky News
17-04-2025
- Science
- Sky News
Scientists create lab-grown chunks of chicken in 'breakthrough' that could pave way for larger cuts of meat
A team of Japanese scientists have created chunks of lab-grown chicken - in a "breakthrough" experts say could pave the way for the creation of larger cuts of meat. In the quest to cultivate meat without the climate impact of farmed animals, scientists have so far only been able to grow tiny chunks of animal cells that have been used to recreate minced meat products like pork meatballs. But a Japanese team has pioneered a new method to grow larger pieces of chicken in a lab, which they say recreates the texture and structure of a piece of meat that has so far proved so elusive. Independent experts have hailed it a "breakthrough" and a "meaningful technical achievement". The researchers involved believe it paves the way for whole cuts of chicken, beef, and fish to be grown in the lab. "Cultured meat offers a sustainable, ethical alternative to conventional meat," said Shoji Takeuchi from Tokyo University, senior author of the paper published this week in peer-reviewed journal Trends in Biotechnology. "However, replicating the texture and taste of whole-cut meat remains difficult. Our technology enables the production of structured meat with improved texture and flavour." Their method used fine hollow fibres that mimic blood vessels to deliver oxygen and nutrients to living chicken muscle cells, growing them into lumps of meat up to 2cm long and 1cm thick, weighing 10 grams. "These fibres are already commonly used in household water filters and dialysis machines for patients with kidney disease. "It's exciting to discover that these tiny fibres can also effectively help create artificial tissues and, possibly, whole organs in the future." 1:55 Overcoming the 'ick factor' Prof Derek Stewart from The James Hutton Institute, told Sky News: "I'd class this as a technical breakthrough". Dr Rodrigo Amaro-Ledesma from Imperial College London called it a "meaningful technical achievement that they have produced a cultivated chicken meat several centimetres thick". This, combined with other work on fine-tuning flavours and reducing costs, puts us "comfortably on track towards an exciting and appealing new range of products", he said. But in order for cultivated meat products to "hit the supermarket shelves in a big way, they need to also be a hit with consumers". The industry prefers the term "alternative protein" to "lab-grown meat" because it is worried the former gives people the "ick". One survey by the Food Standards Agency found a third of UK consumers would be willing to try lab-grown meat. Although the science has advanced rapidly in recent years, no products have yet been authorised for humans to eat, though they have for pets. But the government wants to change that, last year announcing £15m of funding, topping up £23m from other sources, to try to get them onto our plates in the next two years. That includes speeding up the approvals process so that it can keep up with the evolving science, and lowering currently high input costs. Dr Amaro-Ledesma added: "Cultivated meat is a promising alternative to conventional meat because it offers the potential to reduce environmental impacts (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use), eliminate the need for animal slaughter, and improve food safety by avoiding the use of antibiotics and reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases, amongst other advantages." Lydia Collas, head of natural environment at Green Alliance, said: "We keep seeing exciting breakthroughs towards more sustainable sources of protein, and with decisive action this can be a real opportunity for the UK. "We already have a lead, thanks to our world-leading biotech industry and high food quality and safety standards. "The government's forthcoming industrial strategy must include measures to grow the UK industry, which, according to our research, could add £6.8bn to the UK economy every year and create 25,000 new jobs by 2035."
