USA: Carolina azolla could become a new food crop

Scientists at Pennsylvania State University report that the Carolina Azolla variety is a more digestible and nutritious food for humans than Azolla varieties that grow in the wild and are also grown in Asia and Africa for livestock feed. The study, led by Daniel Winstead, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Michael Jacobson, professor of ecosystem sciences and management, and Francesco Di Gioia, assistant professor of vegetable crops, is part of a larger interdisciplinary research project called “Food Resilience in the Face of Catastrophic Global Events.” “Different species of Azolla have been used around the world for several thousand years as livestock feed and as ‘green manure’ to fertilize crops due to the plant’s ability to fix nitrogen,” Jacobson said. - Azolla's use for human consumption was thought to be limited due to its high total polyphenol content, which impairs its digestibility. But this study shows that the phenolic content of the Carolina strain is much lower, and ...