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One prominent effort to reduce unpleasant tastes involves a gene editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9, which snips out unwanted genes.
減少不良口味的一項突出努力涉及一種名為CRISPR-Cas9的基因編輯工具，它可以剪掉不需要的基因。
The vegetable company Pairwise, based in Durham, North Carolina, used the technique to remove the bitter enzyme myrosinase from mustard greens.
位于北卡羅來納州達(dá)勒姆的蔬菜公司Pairwise使用該技術(shù)去除了芥菜中的苦味酶黑芥子酶。
When bowls of the resulting greens in salads were given to taste testers, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, says Tom Adams, cofounder and chief executive officer.
聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人兼執(zhí)行長湯姆·亞當(dāng)斯表示，當(dāng)將所得的蔬菜沙拉提供給味覺測試人員時，反饋非常積極。
After brief introducing their milder mustard greens under the label Conscious Greens, Pairwise recently licensed it to food giant Bayer, which is gearing up for a national rollout.
在簡要介紹了Conscious Greens標(biāo)簽下的溫和芥菜后，Pairwise最近將其授權(quán)給食品巨頭拜耳，該公司正準(zhǔn)備在全國范圍內(nèi)推廣。
Pairwise has also put blackberries under CRISPR's knife to dampen the tart flavor of the fruit, which comes in part from antioxidants.
Pairwise也將黑莓置于CRISPR刀下，以抑制水果的酸味，部分來自抗氧化劑。
Blackberries have more of those compounds and vitamin C than blueberries but are less frequently consumed.
黑莓比藍(lán)莓含有更多的這些化合物和維生素C，但食用頻率較低。
The company is working to remove genes from a little-used variety known for sweetness but whose thorns and hard seeds make it difficult to commercialize.
該公司正在努力從一種很少使用的品種中去除基因，該品種以甜味而聞名，但它的刺和堅硬的種子使其難以商業(yè)化。
A new, tastier blackberry with softer seeds could be available within a few years. The company expects other less tart or bitter vegetables and fruits to follow.
一種新的、更美味的、種子更柔軟的黑莓可能會在幾年內(nèi)上市。該公司預(yù)計其他不太酸或苦的蔬菜和水果也會跟進(jìn)。
Pineapple company Fresh Del Monte is also turning to genetic modification to tamp down the pucker.
鳳梨公司Fresh Del Monte也正在轉(zhuǎn)向基因改造來抑制皺褶。
Since the 1990s, their selective breeding program has emphasized a balance of sugars and citric acids to create pineapples that are sweeter than traditional sour varieties.
自20世紀(jì)90年代以來，他們的選擇性育種計劃一直強(qiáng)調(diào)糖和檸檬酸的平衡，以生產(chǎn)比傳統(tǒng)酸味品種更甜的鳳梨。
Now, the company has introduced an even less tart version called Pinkglow, available in supermarkets since 2022.
現(xiàn)在，該公司推出了更酸的版本，名為Pinkglow，自2022年起在超市出售。
The fruit has genetic tweaks that inhibit the red lycopene from converting to the yellow pigment beta-carotene, which gives it a soft pink interior color and less acidic taste.
這種水果經(jīng)過基因調(diào)整，可以抑制紅色番茄紅素轉(zhuǎn)化為黃色色素β-胡蘿卜素，從而賦予其柔和的粉紅色內(nèi)部顏色和較少的酸性味道。
The resulting fruit provides a "candy sweet experience," says Hans Sauter, senior vice president of research and development at the Miami, Florida, based company.
這家總部位于佛羅里達(dá)州邁阿密的公司的研發(fā)高級副總裁漢斯·索特表示，由此產(chǎn)生的水果提供了“糖果般的甜蜜體驗”。
Despite its less desirable flavor profile, bitter components of fruits and vegetables called phytochemicals have numerous health benefits, research in animal models make clear.
動物模型研究表明，盡管味道不太理想，但水果和蔬菜中被稱為植物化學(xué)物質(zhì)的苦味成分對健康有許多好處。
In 2022, Miller and his colleagues reviewed these compounds in the journal Nutrients and found studies supporting their ability to prevent inflammation, improve insulin resistance, and destroy problematic bacteria.
2022年，米勒和他的同事在《營養(yǎng)》雜志上審查了這些化合物，發(fā)現(xiàn)研究支持它們具有預(yù)防發(fā)炎、改善胰島素阻抗和消滅問題細(xì)菌的能力。
Other studies document the substances' cancer prevention properties, through controlling cell growth and killing problematic cells before they spread.
其他研究記錄了這些物質(zhì)通過控制細(xì)胞生長并在問題細(xì)胞擴(kuò)散之前殺死它們來預(yù)防癌癥的特性。
And bitter phytochemicals stimulate gastrointestinal hormones and improve the movement of food through your gut in ways that prevent overeating and weight gain.
苦味植物化學(xué)物質(zhì)會刺激胃腸激素，改善食物在腸道中的運動，從而防止暴飲暴食和體重增加。
Many cooks reduce the bitterness of vegetables like kale and mustard green by cooking them, which inactivates the myrosinase and, therefore, sweetens the taste.
許多廚師通過烹飪來減少甘藍(lán)和芥菜等蔬菜的苦味，從而使黑芥子酶失活，進(jìn)而使味道變甜。
This has long been thought to destroy their healthful phytochemicals, although recent research reveals that as much as 40 percent of the bitter compounds may be reconstituted in the gut by bacteria in the microbiome.
長期以來，人們一直認(rèn)為這會破壞其有益健康的植物化學(xué)物質(zhì)，盡管最近的研究表明，多達(dá)40%的苦味化合物可能會在腸道中被微生物群中的細(xì)菌重新組成。
It turns out "you have bitter taste receptors all the way down your gut, not just in your mouth," says Miller, who is studying the issue.
事實證明，“苦味受體遍布你的腸道，而不僅僅是在你的嘴里，”正在研究這個問題的米勒如是說。
Still, the amount generated in the gut is less than when the raw compounds are chewed and depends heavily on the composition of the individual's microbiome.
盡管如此，腸道中產(chǎn)生的量仍少于咀嚼原始化合物時產(chǎn)生的量，并且在很大程度上取決于個體微生物群的組成。
Food scientists involved in these efforts insist that even if some health-promoting chemicals are lost, the increased consumption of more palatable fruits and vegetables more than makes up for it.
參與這些努力的食品科學(xué)家堅持認(rèn)為，即使損失了一些促進(jìn)健康的化學(xué)物質(zhì)，增加食用更美味的水果和蔬菜也足以彌補(bǔ)這一損失。
Currently, just 10 percent of Americans eat the recommended two to three cups of vegetables daily and only 12 percent consume the one-and-a-half to two cups of fruit.
目前，只有10%的美國人每天攝取建議的兩到三杯量的蔬菜，只有12%的人每天攝取一杯半到兩杯量的水果。
Plus, they point out, enticing people to eat more plant-based foods instead of meats or ultra-processed fare is better for the planet.
此外，他們指出，吸引人們多吃植物性食品而不是肉類或超加工食品對地球更有利。
The humble brussels sprout may hold some lessons for juggling these competing factors.
不起眼的球芽甘藍(lán)可能為應(yīng)對這些競爭因素提供了一些教訓(xùn)。
In the twentieth century, when conglomerates began to dominate agriculture, efforts to alter harvests emphasized ease of growing and transportation.
在20世紀(jì)，當(dāng)企業(yè)集團(tuán)開始主導(dǎo)農(nóng)業(yè)時，改變收成的努力強(qiáng)調(diào)了種植和運輸?shù)谋憷浴?/div>
"Growers want it to mature at the right time, be the right size, have the right, withstand pests, while supermarkets have their own criteria for shelf life," Mazourek says. "Usually, the consumer is not the focus."
“種植者希望它在正確的時間成熟、大小合適、擁有合適的品種、抵御害蟲，而超市有自己的保質(zhì)期標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，”馬祖雷克說。“通常，消費者不是焦點。”
That began to change for brassica vegetables in the 1990s, when Dutch scientists cross-bred an older variety of brussels sprouts that contained fewer glucosinolates but produced poorer harvests with a more productive modern version.
20世紀(jì)90年代，蕓苔類蔬菜的情況開始發(fā)生變化，當(dāng)時荷蘭科學(xué)家將一種較老的球芽甘藍(lán)品種與一種產(chǎn)量更高的現(xiàn)代品種進(jìn)行雜交，這種球芽甘藍(lán)含有較少的芥子油苷，但收成較差。
Eventually, they landed on one that met growers' yield demands but made eaters smile.
最終，他們找到了一個既能滿足種植者產(chǎn)量要求、又能讓食客微笑的產(chǎn)品。
Thanks to these sprouts, the U.S. per capita consumption of brussels sprouts has more than doubled in the past decade, with the California Farm Bureau recently calling it a culinary superstar.
由于這些芽菜，美國人均球芽甘藍(lán)消費量在過去十年中增加了一倍多，加州農(nóng)業(yè)局最近稱其為烹飪超級明星。
Plant scientists would be wise to find a balance for these fruits and vegetables where both sweet and acidic flavors remain.
植物科學(xué)家應(yīng)該明智地為這些水果和蔬菜找到一個平衡點，既保留甜味又保留酸味。
Mazourek says, "I think the sweet spot would be less sharp but not removed entirely."
馬祖雷克說，“我認(rèn)為最佳點不會那么尖銳，但不會完全消除。”
This is important not only for humans, he points out, but for the survival of the crops as well.
他指出，這不僅對人類很重要，對農(nóng)作物的生存也很重要。
Were bitter compounds to be eliminated entirely, as the plants grow in the fields "the bugs will also be eager to eat a lot more."
如果完全消除苦味化合物，隨著植物在田間生長，“蟲子也會渴望吃更多東西。”
