Is there a problem if there are more than 12 rows of corn "teeth"? Is purple corn dyed? Rumors about cheating farmers are too immoral
Recently, the Shanghai Rumor Refuting Platform has received inquiries from fans about the safety of agricultural products. Corn, which is entering the harvest season, is the first to bear the brunt: Is there a problem with corn with more than 12 rows of "teeth"? Is the purple corn that fades after boiling dyed? Upon verification, these claims were false.
On the short video platform, there are many videos with similar themes: some anchors use corn fields as the background, break open a stick of corn, and introduce in a serious manner, "There is a problem with corns exceeding 12 rows"; some anchors provide I compared multiple photos and pointed out that there are different row numbers of corn, such as "12 rows, 14 rows, 16 rows", etc., and there are problems if there are more than 12 rows. Most of these anchors call on viewers to pay attention when buying corn and not to buy corn with more than 12 rows of "teeth". However, this conclusion is completely unscientific.
Lu Xuezhen, an extension researcher at the Shanghai Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, pointed out that the "12 rows, 14 rows, and 16 rows" mentioned in the rumors refer to the number of rows of corn ears, that is, how many rows of corn kernels there are on a piece of corn. Under the premise that the size and weight of corn kernels remain unchanged and the number of corn kernels in each row remains unchanged, corn with more ear rows has higher yield. In actual production, different corn varieties have different characteristics and are also affected by climate, soil, planting density, fertilization and other factors, so the number of ear rows is not uniform. At the same time, corn yield can be improved through cross-breeding, including increasing the number of ear rows. At present, the number of rows of corn hybrids commonly seen in the market is generally 16 or 18 rows, and there are also 12, 14 or 20 rows. However, no matter how many rows there are, we cannot judge whether there is a problem with the corn based on the number of ear rows.
In the traditional impression of consumers, corn is mainly yellow, and the kernels of some varieties are light purple or yellow and purple. In recent years, whole dark purple corn has appeared on the market. When some consumers boiled this type of corn in water, they found that the corn faded and the water in which the corn was boiled turned purple. They speculated that the purple corn was dyed. This is also a misunderstanding.
Corn is purple because it contains anthocyanins. Anthocyanins mainly exist in the vacuoles of plant cells. They are one of the main pigments that constitute the color of petals and fruits. They can be converted from chlorophyll. Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that are easily soluble in water. When corn is boiled in water, the epidermal cells are heated and rupture, and the anthocyanins dissolve in the water, causing the epidermis to discolor. Therefore, if you want to retain the anthocyanins in purple corn as much as possible, a better cooking method is to steam this type of corn with the bracts in water, or put the bracts on and heat it in the microwave on high heat for 5 minutes to reduce the amount of corn and Water exposure.
"Corn is the world's largest cereal and the master of balance in human dietary structure. It is rich in vitamins, amino acids, fiber, and also contains lutein that protects vision. It is called the 'King of Grains'. The public can choose it with confidence and don't take it for granted. Rumors." Lu Xuezhen reminded.
In recent years, rumors about agricultural products have continued. In addition to "problem corn", there are also "eating a sunshine rose grape is equivalent to eating pesticides 24 times", "strawberries are the dirtiest fruit", "Nanhui watermelons/bananas, etc. cause ng virus" etc. . Some of these rumors are completely malicious, such as fabricating that eating some agricultural products will cause infection with avian influenza, and even fictitious viruses such as "ng virus" and "SB520 virus". Others confuse "containing pesticide residues" with "exceeding pesticide residues" and stigmatize grapes, strawberries, etc. as "the dirtiest fruits".
An investigation by the Shanghai Rumor Refuting Platform found that some agricultural-related rumors may come from misunderstandings, but a considerable number of them still come from the deliberate intentions of the rumor makers. Because "food is the most important thing for the people", the safety of agricultural products is related to thousands of households. Posting remarks related to agricultural products, especially those related to the safety of agricultural products, is particularly likely to attract public attention. Some anchors and bloggers use this as a "traffic password" and do not hesitate to spread rumors.
Some of them talk nonsense just to attract attention. A typical case is the recurring rumor that "I ate such-and-such fruit from a certain property and was infected with such-and-such virus."
The fruits and origins in such rumors often change with the maturity period of agricultural products. Which fruits are on the market in which season, the rumor makers will use which fruits as the protagonist, in order to attract attention.
Others take advantage of information asymmetry to spread rumors because the public is unfamiliar with agricultural production.
For example, in the rumor that "** fruits are particularly dirty", the rumor makers confuse the difference between "pesticide residues" and "illegal use of pesticides" and "exceeding pesticide residues", and draw erroneous conclusions such as "having pesticide residues means eating pesticides".
You should know that the use of pesticides is a normal way of farming. No country or region in the world prohibits the use of pesticides. It only requires the use of legal pesticides and controlling pesticide residues within a reasonable range. Usually, pesticide residues that meet the standards on agricultural products can be removed by simply soaking and rinsing, and will not cause harm to the human body. The rumormongers ignore these and draw the wrong conclusion based on the logic of "such and such agricultural products are grown using pesticides, so such and such agricultural products are unsafe."
Regarding these rumors, it is not only consumers who are harmed, but also farmers and agriculture. Some farmers commented that the irresponsible remarks of some anchors are "very immoral" because a rumor will not only affect farmers' harvest for a season, but may also destroy an industry.
Therefore, regarding various agricultural-related rumors, we hope that the public will keep their eyes open and not be gullible or spread rumors; we also hope that more professionals will come forward to actively popularize science and clarify misunderstandings.
Online platforms cannot remain aloof. Regarding "traffic topics" involving food safety and other public concerns, we cannot adopt the attitude of "anyone can say" and allow irresponsible remarks to run rampant on the Internet.
