Processed foods, particularly of the 'ultraprocessed' variety, are one of the nutritional hot topics of the moment. Most people, whether or not they work in nutrition, have an opinion about processed foods, and it doesn't tend to be positive.
This is, however, an overly simplistic view of a nuanced topic. And you don't need to look far to find evidence that processing can not only be good, but that it may have been crucial to our survival as a species.
Take, for instance, corn. From tortillas and tamales to corn on the cob, it's the foundation of Mexican cuisine. There's a good historical reason for this and food processing has played a key role.
Agriculture emerged independently in at least three geographical locations. Wheat was domesticated in the fertile crescent, an area along the River Nile in Egypt, and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia 10,000 to 12,500 years ago. Rice was domesticated in the Yangtze River Valley in China 9,000 years ago. And maize, or corn, was domesticated in Oaxaca, a region at the southern end of Mexico, around 10,000 years ago. Mexico is quite literally the birthplace of corn.
This story is from the November 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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This story is from the November 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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