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The researchers think it is likely that most flowering plants, or angiosperms, contain similar sucrose-susceptible genes, making their “sweetening technology” widely applicable. Credit: Cienpies Design ================================================================================================= Previous research has shown that the sugar sucrose plays a role in controlling key fruit genes involved in sugar metabolism. Efforts to control these genes succeeded in increasing the sugar content in fruit but also resulted in stunted growth. Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan used a bioinformatics search tool to find nucleotide sequences in the tomato genome similar to a known tobacco gene sequence that can be repressed by sucrose. When a special...

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts this week, and most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims will be observing. This means there's a good chance you might encounter someone — a friend, a co-worker, the barista making your latte at Starbucks, your child's teacher — who is celebrating Ramadan. But what is Ramadan, exactly? And how can I make sure I don't accidentally offend my Muslim friends and acquaintances during Ramadan? We've got you covered: Here are the most basic answers to the most basic questions about Ramadan. 1) What is Ramadan actually about? Ramadan is the most sacred...

Tiny Toast is designed to appeal to younger, health-conscious consumers because it's one of the few breakfast cereal on the market flavored with real fruit and has no high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors. It will join the Minnesota-based company's already formidable lineup of cereals that have been part of American breakfasts for decades such as Cheerios, Trix and Lucky Charms.

A Ferguson restaurant that opened shortly before protests shook the north St. Louis County city is closing, according to social media posts. The Ferguson Burger Bar and More, 9120 West Florissant Avenue, is closed “until further notice,” a Facebook post announced Sunday morning. An ad posted to Craigslist shows the restaurant is for sale, highlighting the burger joint’s rankings in a Post-Dispatch food critic’s top 100 list. …

BRUGES, Belgium -- The idea may have seemed mad, but after all, the beer is called the Madman of Bruges - or Brugse Zot in Dutch. And with the help of crowdfunding efforts among some 400 Madman fans, the dream of building a beer pipeline through the Belgian city of Bruges is becoming real. "You have to be a bit crazy - like the beer - to do such a project. I just had the money for that, and I liked it. So I went crazy and gave the money to the brewery," said local restaurant owner Philippe Le Loup,...

Have you ever thought of combining your two favorite things? Of course you have. We all have. Otherwise, ingenious foods such as root beer floats or deep fried Oreos wouldn’t exist. But, what about combining wine and ice cream? Sounds amazing. But it also seems downright difficult, come to think of it.

BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS (AP) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it will be testing its grocery delivery service with ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft in the next two weeks in Denver and Phoenix. That’s in addition to a quiet pilot program that started in March with Deliv for its Sam’s Club customers that involves delivery of general merchandise and grocery for business members in Miami. Customers pay Wal-Mart the regular $7 to $10 delivery charge online and make no payments to the driver.

Who doesn’t love a good baseball fight? Fans of the sport get to see their favorite teams pile up like a Twister game gone horribly wrong, and non-fans get to see something actually happen during a baseball game. (Guess which one I am…) Seriously, pending no major injury or suspensions, baseball fights can be kind of exciting. Especially since, unlike football or hockey where fighting is basically (dangerously) woven into the fabric of the sport itself, anger in baseball tends more toward dirt-kicking than ass kicking. And there have been a few epic fights in the history of the game—but...

A great excuse to find some free food – and wear your loose pants. Whether you take them jelly-filled, chocolate coated or just plain glazed, doughnuts are an important part of America’s food pyramid. They’re the go-to snack for cops, the nightmare of dieticians and the breakfast food most of us can agree upon. Every year, the first Friday of June marks the celebration of this most wonderful of pastries. Started in 1938 by The Salvation Army, National Doughnut Day started as a fundraiser to help the needy and to honor the women who served doughnuts to the soldiers during...

A man has been charged with 32 counts alleging he tainted beer at stores throughout San Diego County. Eduardo DeJesus Cossio, 31, is charged with numerous counts of poisoning food or drink, adulteration of food and sale of adulterated items. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday afternoon. The charging document alleges that between December 2014 and October 2015, Cossio tainted beer at numerous stores, including several Target stores throughout San Diego County and three separate Walmart stores in Chula Vista, Logan Heights and San Ysidro. In court on Thursday, a deputy district attorney was mum on providing...

"I see something drop into the glass, and I think, 'Did that really just happen?'"Three women went viral on social media and are being called "heroes" after stopping an attempted date rape drugging at a high-end Santa Monica restaurant, they said Sunday. The three women depicted in a meme that reads, "Don't roofie someone on our watch!" as they pose like Charlie's Angels began to take social media by storm after they recounted what could have been a disastrous date. It was shared more than 100,000 times by Sunday. The three friends were kicking back during happy hour at Fig...

Two legs good, six legs tasty!Some people like to eat their crickets plain. Some people like to eat them after the crickets have been dipped in dark, luscious chocolate. Some people, it seems, prefer to never eat crickets at all – but those people are fewer and fewer, which is why it might be a little crowded, at times, during the ninth annual Bug (Eating) Festival at in.gredients on Saturday, June 4, 4-8pm. Because crickets, yes: Plain and chocolate-covered – or completely indistinguishable in fluffy, protein-rich flour. Because mealworms, spiced and baked. And who knows what other manner of crunchy,...

My husband and I live in a delivery food 'desert'. All around us are areas where almost any kind of food can be ordered; but it seems all we can have delivered are mediocre Chinese restaurant food, and Pizza. We're generally tired of both; and I think our Friday nights are going to start including a stop for carryout from someplace interesting. BUT: I never tire of the *soups* from Chinese restaurants, and decided to try making my own egg-drop soup. This is a very simple recipe, and you can add things to it - I usually add a little...

Fishermen call the animals “thumb-splitters” — at least one man has had a finger amputated after a mantis shrimp strike — and a blow from the crustacean’s truncheon can crack a pane of stock aquarium glass... The mantis shrimp, only distantly related to the species you would find covered in tempura batter, come in two types, which marine biologists divide into “spearers” or “smashers.” The spearers impale prey with a javelin strike of a pointed claw, whereas the smashers use their fist-like appendages to pop the shells of their food. Smashers, and their shrimply hammers — technically known as dactyl...

The Obama administration is pressuring the food industry to make foods from breads to sliced turkey less salty, proposing long-awaited sodium guidelines in an effort to prevent thousands of deaths each year from heart disease and stroke. The proposed guidelines released Wednesday are voluntary, so food companies won’t be required to comply. But the idea is to persuade companies and restaurants — many of which have already lowered sodium levels in their products — to take a more consistent approach. […] Some companies have worried that though the limits will be voluntary, the FDA is at heart a regulatory agency,...

The owners of a vegan cafe in the country of Georgia say group of neo-Nazis started throwing grilled meat at patrons. It happened over the weekend at the Kiwi Cafe in the capital city of Tbilisi. The cafe was holding an English-language movie screening when the group came in and started the violence. They pulled out grilled meat, sausages, fish and started eating them and throwing them at customers before starting to smoke, which is forbidden at the cafe. When the owners tried to get them to leave a fight started and spilled into the street. The cafe owners say...

Next week my wife and I are going to Canada for a few days and I would like to buy some Canadian whisky. My price range would be in the area of Johnnie Walker Black Label and below. Any ideas?

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Beer-buying Pennsylvanians are seeing a growing number of options where they can pick up a six-pack or two, though Pennsylvania still remains home to some of the nation's most restrictive beer sales laws. This week, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board licensed nine more convenience stores that sell gas to carry takeout six-packs, despite a pending state Supreme Court case that could theoretically invalidate those licenses. In the meantime, it was another step toward loosening the control over takeout beer sales that, for decades, has been largely the province of bars and larger-quantity beer distributors.

NEW YORK — Coke has caught the patriotic fever. The soda company’s new “I’m proud to be an American” limited edition red, white and blue cans honor members of the military and feature the American flag in their design. Coca-Cola is rolling out the new cans to celebrate its 75-year partnership with the United Service Organizations. The cans and packs will be in stores through July 4th. The song lyric and patriotic design will be on 16-ounce cans as well as 12-ounce cans that come in 20, 24 and 35-packs.