Lichtgedanken 02

Editorial 39 02 | LICHT GEDANKEN T H R E E Q U E S T I O N S T O What hurdles must water lenses over- come to establish themselves as food in Europe? As no members of the water lens fa- mily have been used for generations as food in any country in the European Union, they were classified as a »novel food«. That means they would have to be tested in accordance with the »No- vel Food Directive« before being of- ficially sold and used as food. The fact that these plants have been eaten in Asian countries since time immemori- al, plays no part. Through our analyses, we are making an important contribution towards creating the necessary preconditions and we are continuing our work. Col- leagues in the Netherlands and Israel are also striving to clarify the legal side of the procedures required. There is of course also a need for a compa- ny that produces the plants in suitable volumes. This cannot be the task of a university. The areas where water lenses can be deployed are already varied (see box on p. 38). Where do you see their grea- test potential – as well as their use as food? Firstly, in the cleansing of waste water as water lenses absorb all possible sub- stances from the water. Of course, that only works all year round in warmer countries, e.g. in India. Secondly, in the use of biomass to ex- tract starch. Sugar can be easily de- rived from starch and can be fermen- ted to form bioalcohols (ethanol or butanol) and used to generate energy. Colleagues from China, in particular, Original Publication Appenroth KJ et al. Nutritional value of duckweeds (Lemnaceae) as human food. Food Chemistry, DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.08.116 Contact PD Dr Klaus Appenroth, Prof. Dr Gerhard Jahreis Institute of General Botany and Plant Physiology, Institute of Nutrition Dornburger Straße 159 and 24 D-07743 Jena, Germany Phone: ++ 49 3641 949233, ++ 49 3641 949610 Email: klaus.appenroth@uni-jena.de b6jage@uni-jena.de www.botanik.uni-jena.de, www.iew.uni-jena.de PD Dr Klaus Appenroth Plant physiologist and specialist for water lenses PD Dr Klaus Appenroth has devoted almost his entire career as a researcher to water lenses. He manages the international committee on water lens research which is lobbying worldwide for more intensive use and applica- tion of duckweed. are working in this direction. It is na- turally a good idea to combine these two applications. When waters rich in nutrients are used, the plants absorb and store these nutrients, and so the biomass can also be used as green ma- nure, e.g. to recycle phosphates. And thirdly and finally, water len- ses are of course also suitable as ani- mal feed. A calculation is required as to whether cultivation is financially covered by the product. Can you reveal your »ultimate« water lens recipe? I like water lens curry best: For this, you fry some onions and black mustard seeds. Add cumin, chili peppers and ground ginger. Then add the water lenses – preferably Wolffia – fry briefly and add salt and lemon to taste. Done. It goes well with rice.