Potato counterattack, unrelated to food crisis

We eat potatoes.

Much less than developed countries

There is such a scene in Interstellar: in the coming year, the earth's ecological environment will suffer serious damage. Frequent sandstorms and other bad weather caused the food crisis, wheat, rice and other staple food crops are on the verge of extinction in the yellow sand, human beings can only eat corn to maintain their daily needs. Scientists are forced to travel through many universes in search of planets suitable for human existence.

The disaster caused by the lack of food is easily reminiscent of the great famines that have occurred many times in history, and the miserable scene of hunger and famine is creepy. This time the potato jumped as a staple food and was called "the key to saving the world food crisis in the future." does that mean that there is a food crisis in our country now? the Ministry of Agriculture said that the main grain of potatoes is not because we are not enough to eat. It is an important supplement to food security.

"how can we not have enough grain? in 2014, China's National Bureau of Statistics announced that the country's total grain output had reached 1.2142 trillion jin, achieving bumper harvests for 11 consecutive years, and self-sufficiency was absolutely no problem." Pan Wenbo, deputy director of the planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said, "I can say responsibly that our grain production and income have been increased year after year, the supply is adequate, and the national food security is guaranteed."

Although there is enough grain in our country, the situation of agricultural production is not optimistic. Pan Wenbo said that at present, China's grain production resources, such as cultivated land and water resources, are very tight, and the over-standard rate of soil pollution in cultivated land is close to 5%. In the past, the mode of food growth based on resource consumption has been in an unsustainable state. At present, there is an urgent need to seek a breakthrough in changing the mode of agricultural development and to find another way to optimize the agricultural structure.

According to information released by the World Bank, China's current total grain demand is 600 million tons, and the grain demand is growing. The continuous improvement of China's grain output has ensured the bottom line of "basic self-sufficiency of grain and absolute safety of food rations".

Pan Wenbo believes that at present, imports of rice, wheat and corn account for only 2.4% of domestic output, and domestic grain supply and demand is basically balanced. However, it is not easy to maintain this balance, because the increase in grain demand in China will reach more than 100 billion jin by 2020, but due to the constraints of cultivated land resources and planting benefits, there is less room for grain varieties such as wheat and rice to continue to increase production. "in this case, the development of potato as the main grain is of great significance to the protection of national food security. And the connotation of food security includes not only the supply and self-sufficiency of food, but also the diversity of food structure. "

Pan Wenbo said that the main grain of potatoes is not to provide timely assistance to ensure national food security, but to add icing on the cake to make the old people eat better, more nutritious and healthier.

Pan Libing, deputy director of the Agricultural products processing Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Industry, said that potatoes are cold-resistant, drought-tolerant, and adaptable, so they are easier to grow. They belong to the "four provinces" crops that "save water, fertilizer, medicine, and energy." in arid and semi-arid areas of the northwest, potatoes can not only grow normally, but also reduce soil erosion. The average output of potatoes in China is lower than the world average, which is about 1/3 of that in developed countries, and the per capita consumption of potatoes is only 14 kg, which is much lower than that in developed countries.

Hundreds of supermarkets in Beijing

Selling potato steamed buns.

Dai Xiaofeng, who was elected chairman of the National Potato staple Food processing Industry Alliance, told reporters that at present, the processing link is relatively weak in the potato industry.

Compared with wheat, corn and rice, potatoes have many advantages and have the conditions to be staple grains, but they also have some shortcomings. for example, 85% of wheat is dry, but potatoes are 70% water and are also made into whole powder. using potatoes as raw materials is 5 to 6 times that of wheat, the cost can not come down, the price is high, there is no market. The fresh potato has high water content, is not resistant to storage, and is not convenient for transportation. in addition, the processing cost of potatoes in our country is too high, and the utilization of industrialization is only 20%, which has reached more than 50% abroad.

"at present, the potato staple food research and development team in China has carried out the trial production of staple food products such as potato spaghetti and huli soup, and completed the study on the effect of adding whole powder on the rheological properties of potato dough. The nutritional efficacy evaluation scheme of steamed bread containing 40% potato flour was preliminarily determined, 55% ready-to-eat potato rice noodles were successfully produced, and 20 related patents were declared." According to Dai Xiaofeng, at present, the processing cost of potatoes in China is too high, and the utilization of industrialization is only 20%, which has reached more than 50% in foreign countries. At present, our country from the national team to the local team, the potato research and development project and investment are not enough. After the introduction of the potato staple grain strategy, we will enjoy more preferential policies in the industry and make new progress in scientific research.

In recent years, potato production in China has developed steadily, with a planting area of 5.57 million hectares in 2014, accounting for about 1/4 of the world's total. China has become the largest country in potato production and consumption. In this context, the industrialization of potato staple food is particularly important.

"We compared and analyzed the nutritional content of potato staple food, the contents of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. It is found that the nutritional value of potato steamed bread, noodles and other staple food products is higher than that of traditional staple food products such as wheat steamed bread and noodles." According to Dai Xiaofeng, potato production in China has developed steadily in recent years. In 2014, the planting area reached 5.57 million hectares, accounting for about 1/4 of the world's total. China has become the largest country in potato production and consumption. This summer, the first generation of potato steamed bread, which accounts for 30% of total potato flour, has been successfully listed in Beijing. Up to now, the first generation of potato steamed bread has been sold in hundreds of supermarkets in Beijing, and manufacturers have produced more than 1 ton of potato steamed bread every day.

At present, the planting area of potato in China is gradually expanding, and it is estimated that by 2020, more than 50% of potatoes in China will be consumed as a staple grain. Compared with wheat, corn and rice, potato powder can be stored for more than 15 years at room temperature. Some countries have listed potato powder as a strategic grain reserve. Many experts believe that with the rapid increase of global population, in the future when there is a food crisis in the world, only potatoes can save mankind.

It seems that "Mr. Potato" has not only achieved a successful counterattack, but will also shoulder the great responsibility of saving mankind in the future.

Potatoes are on the table.

There is only a market for diversification.

It has been more than 400 years since horse bell potato was introduced into China and widely planted in the mid-16th century, but most of it is used as fresh food. Does this mean that potato staple food lacks a "mass base"? researcher Zhang Hong, chief scientist of the traditional food processing and equipment team of the Agricultural products processing Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a core expert in the research and development of potato staple food processing technology and equipment. So far, potato has not become the staple food in the real sense in our country, which is due to the factors of traditional dietary habits and the lack of public understanding of the nutritional value of potatoes. Affected by these two factors, the breeding of special potato varieties suitable for processing is not enough, the corresponding formula, technology and equipment for processing into staple food are not enough, and the industrialization development lags behind.

"Potato does not contain gluten protein. When making steamed bread, noodles and other staple food products, there are some problems, such as difficult shaping, high hardness, easy to break noodles, not resistant to cooking and so on." According to Zhang Hong, potatoes are different from corn, rice and wheat, and the latter three are granular, which are easy to dehydrate and have a long shelf life. The potato is a large lump, if preserved in adults, it is difficult to dehydrate and deteriorate easily.

Before the project, the potato staple food R & D team in China has successfully selected 4 potato steamed bread varieties and 5 potato noodle varieties from 26 potato varieties in the main potato growing areas in China, which has solved the problem of the shortage of suitable processed products. At the same time, the proportion of potato flour in traditional staple food products such as potato steamed bread, noodles, rice noodles and mixed rice has been successfully increased from about 10% to 70%, 45%, 55% and 35%, and the product quality has been greatly improved. the nutritional value has been strengthened. Through the process optimization, the browning of potato flour and mashed potatoes was effectively restrained, and the cheap and nutritious high quality potato staple food special raw flour was preliminarily developed, which laid the foundation for the production of high quality potato mashed potatoes suitable for potato staple food processing. The R & D team also carried out the trial-production of staple food products such as potato spaghetti and spicy soup, and completed the study on the effect of whole powder on the rheological properties of potato dough. At the same time, we have also developed a series of products such as potato steamed bread spontaneous flour and potato noodle compound powder. in the future, Lao Li people can also make potato steamed bread, noodles and other food at home.

With the introduction of the horse bell potato staple grain strategy, the relevant investment in scientific research has increased. At present, it has successfully developed steamed bread, noodles, rice noodles and other staple foods such as steamed bread, noodles and rice noodles, which account for more than 30% of the total potato powder, and snack foods such as bread, as well as instant noodles, which account for 18%. These products have advantages in taste and appearance. At present, there are a lot of industrialized large-packaged potatoes in our country, and there are few small packages commonly used in Li residential houses. In the future, there will be all kinds of large and small packages, raw, cooked, purple and pink potato powder in supermarkets.

There may also be "full color fans" in the future. It is worth mentioning that the main ingredient of compressed biscuits common in the army is potatoes, and the taste of compressed biscuits will be greatly improved after new technology improvement in the future.

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Steaming and cooking

It's the best way to eat potatoes.

In the eyes of nutritionists, the rich nutritional value of potatoes is the most commendable. Yang Xiaoguang of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medical Sciences said that our usual staple food sources are mainly rice and wheat, which have been polished and processed. the loss of B vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber is very great, resulting in a serious loss of nutrition. Potatoes as a staple food can improve this problem, because potatoes are rich in dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and minerals, high-quality starch contains 16.5%, and a large amount of lignin, which has higher nutritional value to the human body. More importantly, potatoes will not lose much nutrients during processing, and the rich starch can provide the calories needed by the human body and enhance the sense of satiety. It is known as the "second bread" and "underground apple". And there are three staple grains do not have nutrients-carotene. "the diet structure of the urban population is changing. According to the results of our research on the diet of the urban population in recent years, the nutrients that the urban population lacks can be obtained from potatoes."

Some people are worried about whether they will "cook a big potato every day, or stir-fry shredded potatoes every day." the daily staple food must eat potatoes, Yang Xiaoguang said. just take the potato as a supplementary choice of the current staple food structure, as the potato deep processing technology becomes more and more mature, ordinary people can eat potatoes without changing their eating habits. For example, adding the right amount of potato flour to the noodles and steamed bread we are used to is an ideal staple food.

Because potatoes are difficult to store, deep-frying potatoes is a very common practice. Thin slices are French fries all over the street, and thin slices are potato chips all over supermarket shelves. Yang Xiaoguang said that fried potatoes produce a substance called acrylamide, which is a carcinogen. This carcinogen can be produced not only in fried potatoes, but also in high-temperature processed foods containing starch and carbohydrates. "in fact, there are too many ways to eat potatoes. the best way to eat potatoes is to steam and boil. Although the taste is not as good as fried, the loss of nutrition is small and it is healthier for the human body."