The assessment begins with the 2001 crop. The ethanol industry, which uses corn and sugar to make a fuel that's cleaner than gasoline, could be a big winner if oil prices continue at present levels. But the decision on who wins and who loses could be a political one, a world official said last week. The bottom line is that you need cheap sugar and high oil prices. That situation exists presently and could be the boost the ethanol industry needs for it to live up to its potential.
Brazil is the world's largest producer and consumer of ethanol.
A food quality geneticist has found some of the same antioxidants in bean coats that give these other foods their anti-aging properties. The finding is inspiring scientists to find ways to boost the already high nutritional value of beans and could lead to more iron and other vitamins and minerals, as well as more antioxidants. Cinnamon adds zest to more than just food. The spice contains substances that, in test tube studies at least, wake up body cells to the hormone insulin. Because insulin regulates glucose metabolism and thus controls the level of glucose in the blood, the substances may have the potential to delay or prevent adult-onset, or type 2, diabetes.