Wednesday July 8, 2009, 7:31 pm
Application of two common herbicides to several varieties of sweet corn significantly increased the amount of key nutrients termed carotenoids in the corn kernels, according to a new study.

In the new study, Dean Kopsell and colleagues note that farmers grow about 240,000 acres of sweet corn in the United States each year, making it an important food crop. Corn is among only a few vegetable crops that are good sources of zeaxanthin carotenoids. Consuming carotenoid-rich vegetables may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (a leading cause of vision loss among older people), heart disease, and cancer, the study notes.

The scientists exposed several varieties of sweet corn plants to the herbicide mesotrione or a combination of mesotrione and atrazine, another commonly used weed killer, and harvested mature corn 45 days later. Herbicide applications made the corn an even-better source of carotenoids, boosting levels in the mature kernels of some varieties by up to 15 percent. It specifically increased levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, the major carotenoids in sweet corn kernels, which studies have linked to a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Wednesday July 8, 2009, 7:39 pm
BUYER BEWARE! While the benefits of this corn grown with these herbicides may sound great, the source of this news story is a press release sent out by The American Chemical Society. Do you think there may be some bias here? Atrazine has been proven responsible for disrupting the sexual development of frogs, feminizing leopard frogs, disrupting human hormone activity, and the list goes on.

Wednesday July 8, 2009, 8:14 pm
Thanks for sharing this! My only concern is, nutrition value up but what about food safety levels?

Wednesday July 8, 2009, 8:25 pm
Sounds like white washing of chemicals on food... I don't believe it for a moment! Thanks Karen!

Wednesday July 8, 2009, 8:35 pm
They must think people are incredibly stupid or gullible.

Thursday July 9, 2009, 8:03 am
Another fantastic play on words by BIG AGRI. I have no doubt that if you eliminate the weed competition in crops, the crops will be more nutritious -- thought that was why our forefathers invented the hoe. This is pure and simple "gobbly gook" to the under informed consumer, and the sad part is, it will most likely work!

cowboss

Thursday July 9, 2009, 2:34 pm
Sounds like science by Monsanto! Yeah, we can really trust the chemical companies to tell us the truth!

Thursday July 9, 2009, 4:34 pm
Yes, and who are they trying to take people for? Thanks Karen!

Thursday July 9, 2009, 6:24 pm
Thank you Karen, The motives of the source of information must always be questioned.

Thursday July 9, 2009, 7:10 pm
Yes I am not buying it! There is no way it could be better than what mother nature would provide!
Thanks Karen

Thursday July 9, 2009, 11:18 pm
Yep, none of us seem to be buying into this!! Good that people SPOT this evilness!

Saturday July 11, 2009, 10:39 am
What is the point of inmproved nutritional value if it is offest (and then some) by the toxins introduced?

Friday August 7, 2009, 8:32 am
Thanks, an I am actually dumbfounded by this article and all I can say is WHAT?????? Well, there are a bunch of gullable people out there...

Friday August 7, 2009, 9:22 am
Hi Friends! Michael Taylor (attorney) left Monsanto to work in......FDA! Now, they are trying to persuade others that BIO-Teched foods can be certified as ORGANIC! Who are they trying to fool?

Biotech Food = Genetically Modified Foods. It's no different if they were to take COW DUNG and make it look like, taste like and smell like BeefBurger. THUMBS-DOWN! DEET and chemicals are only good for Machines and for cleaning OTHER chemical stains, and if they are gonna use it on the Moon! lol