Curried cauliflower: a cancer-busting delicacy?

Rutgers University researchers report that the curry spice turmeric contains chemicals that may play a significant role in the prevention of prostate cancer. The immune systems of mice injected with turmeric-also known as curcumen-and with another chemical, phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC)-found in cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts-fought more valiantly against human prostate cancer cells introduced into their bodies. The report’s authors surmise that this may explain why the incidence of prostate cancer-which among cancers is the leading killer of American and Canadian men-is so low in India: Indians consume copious amounts of foods rich in phytochemicals-chemicals contained in plants that have disease-preventing properties.

-Mike Ghenu

Source: Cancer Research

Fill ‘er up-with straw?

In a statement at the Detroit Auto Show last week, Volkswagen, Shell, and Ottawa-based Iogen said they would examine the economic feasibility of building a cellulose-based ethanol plant in Germany in the next few years. Iogen has been working on cellulose-derived ethanol-a biofuel produced from agricultural wastes, including cereal straws and corn stalks-for the past 25 years. Such biofuels can be used either directly as a fuel or as a fuel additive.

In recent years, alternative fuels have garnered a great deal of attention, as they could help decrease dependence on fossil fuels, and also help countries meet their Kyoto Accord commitments to decrease carbon dioxide emissions. However, the advantage of cellulose-based ethanol may be in its believed ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, produced by cars, by up to 90 per cent. Currently, in Canada, some gas stations sell unleaded gasoline that contains a ten per cent blend of grain-based ethanols.

In the past, critics such as Greenpeace Canada have argued that the inputs required by grain-based ethanols, such as corn, are far more energy-intensive given that they are the primary output and require pesticides and arable land. In contrast, cellulose-based ethanol is a secondary output reducing its energy requirements. Furthermore, farmers may benefit economically from a secondary market created for agricultural wastes.

-Billie-Jo Hardy

Source: PR Newswire, The Globe & Mail