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The fungus Ustilago maydis produces galls or tumors on corn ears called corn smut or huitlacoche. Used for human consumption in several countries for its nutritional and sensory traits, huitlacoche is considered a delicacy in Mexican cuisine and has a significant economic value. Hybrid U. maydis strains are regularly used for the large-scale production of huitlacoche; however, depending on the genetic characteristics of the parent strains, the pathogenicity and infection rate of hybrid fungi are often suboptimal due to compatibility issues between different strains. Using double-loaded organisms is common in agriculture to improve product characteristics, performance, and shelf-life. A methodology to obtain unicellular U. maydis strains with a double genetic load (n + n) capable of producing galls on corn ears without mating (hybridization) is reported herein. This methodology resulted in 206 U. maydis isolates. Screening showed that 147 corn plants (>70%) underwent infection and gall production. Of the 147 gall-producing U. maydis strains, those with the highest field performance were selected. Three strains, Um-UAEMor-78 (yielding 21.65 ton/ha), Um-UAEMor-120 (22.31 ton/ha), and Um-UAEMor-187 (22.99 ton/ha), showed higher yields than the control strain, CP-436(a1b1) × CP-437(a2b2) (17.80 ton/ha). A specific methodology to obtain unicellular U. maydis strains with a double genetic load capable of infecting baby corn ears and forming galls is described for the first time, providing a novel alternative for producing huitlacoche and helping to improve the yields and morphological traits of galls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there is growing concern over the presence of lead (Pb) in foods because it is a heavy metal with several toxic effects on human health. However, monitoring studies have not been conducted in Mexico. In this study, we estimated the concentrations of Pb in the most consumed foods and identified those that exceeded the maximum limits (MLs) for Pb in foods established by the International Standards. Based on the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey, 103 foods and beverages were selected and purchased in Mexico City retail stores and markets. Samples were analyzed twice using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Values above the limit of quantification (0.0025 mg/kg) were considered to be detected. The percentage of detected values was 18%. The highest concentration was found in infant rice cereal (1.005 mg/kg), whole wheat bread (0.447 mg/kg), pre-cooked rice (0.276 mg/kg), black pepper (0.239 mg/kg), and turmeric (0.176 mg/kg). Among the foods with detected Pb, the levels in infant rice cereal, whole wheat bread, pre-cooked rice, and soy infant formula exceeded the MLs. The food groups with the highest percentages of exceeded MLs were baby foods (18%) and cereals (11%). Monitoring the concentration of contaminants in foods is essential for implementing food safety policies and protecting consumer health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most typical dishes of traditional Mexican cuisine is pozole, made with nixtamalized maize. This dish has a special place as part of the identity of Mexican culture. However, it is time-consuming to prepare. With an increasing demand for precooked maize for pozole and the limited information on its preparation process, this study aims to assess the impact of both traditional (TN) and commercial nixtamalization (CN) on the quality of processed maize and its reception by consumers, focusing on the three most popular maize landraces used in pozole recipes. This study was carried out with the Cacahuacintle ('CAC'), Elotes Occidentales ('EO') and Ancho ('AN') landraces, which were nixtamalized using the traditional method (only lime) and the commercial method (lime + additives) and the grain was flowered. The quality of the flowered grain was determined, and a sensory analysis consisting of magnitude of difference tests, a descriptive analysis, affective test and evaluation of consumer preferences was carried out. The 'CAC' landrace, when processed traditionally, yielded the highest sensory and commercial quality. The 'EO' landrace demanded a longer flowering time, resulting in less volume but retaining the aleurone layer. This characteristic helped preserved a portion of the anthocyanins. Consistently, maize landraces subjected to traditional nixtamalization displayed higher ratings for attributes related to masa and nejayote aroma. The 'CAC' landrace subjected to CN faced challenges in acceptability due to odors of acetic acid and sulfuric acid. These findings underscore the importance and advantages the TN techniques. They also emphasize the need to preserve grain quality and meeting consumer preferences when exploring alternative maize processing methods for emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased global attention is being paid to the food-health-climate trilemma. In this study, we evaluate the climate impacts of Mexico's food consumption patterns by creating a high-resolution (262 sectors) Environmentally Extended Input-Output (EEIO) model called MXEEIO. We focus on the differences between food away from home (FAFH) and food at home (FAH) and compare Mexico's results with those of the USA. The results show that the main components of food spending in Mexico were meat, baked products, and beverages, raising concerns about their potential negative health effects if consumed excessively. Mexico's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from food consumption were estimated at 149 million metric tons (MMT) in 2013, as opposed to 797 MMT for the USA. Meat and dairy products were the main contributors to Mexico's food-related GHG emissions, accounting for 57% of total emissions. Mexico spent a much smaller proportion of food-related income on FAFH than the USA (13% vs. 52%), suggesting great potential for growth as Mexico's per capita GDP continues to rise. Detailed contribution analysis shows that reducing Mexico's food-related GHG emissions would benefit most from a transition to low-carbon cattle farming, but mitigation efforts in other sectors such as crop cultivation and electricity generation are also important. Overall, our study underscores the significance of food-related GHG emissions in Mexico, especially those from meat and dairy products, and the mitigation challenges these sectors face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixed-mode solar drying was developed to evaluate the physicochemical and colorimetric properties of Zompantle (Erythrina americana). A 22-factorial design was used; the operation mode (mesh shade and direct) and airflow (natural convection and forced convection) were established as factors in this design. The initial moisture content in the Zompantle flower was reduced from 89.03% (w.b) to values that ranged from 3.84% to 5.84%; depending on the operation mode of the dryer, the final water activity ranged from 0.25 to 0.33. The Zompantle's components as proteins (4.28%), antioxidant activity (18.8%), carbohydrates (4.83%), fat (0.92%), fiber (3.71%), ash (0.94%), and total soluble solids (3°Brix) increased as the water was evaporated during the drying. The increment in the Zompantle's components depends on the operation mode; in direct mode and natural convection, the proteins, antioxidant activity, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, ash, and total soluble solids were 6.99%, 61.69%, 79.05%, 1.20%, 3.84%, 8.70%, and 45 °Brix, respectively. The total drying efficiency was 14.84% with the direct mode and natural convection (DM-NC) and 17.10% with the mesh shade and natural convection (MS-NC). The Hue angle measures the property of the color; the indirect mode and natural convection keep the hue angle close to the initial value (29.2 °). The initial chroma value of the Zompantle flower was 55.07; the indirect mode and natural convection kept high saturation (37.58); these dry conditions ensured a red color in the dehydrated Zompantle. Dehydrated Zompantle's flowers could have several practical applications, such as an additive in traditional Mexican cuisine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within domestic food cooking, burning firewood in three-stone fires (TSF) is a common practice by more than 16 million users in the Mexican tropical climate region (CR-TR). This article aims to evaluate the implementation of improved firewood cookstoves (ICS) to replace TSF in the CR-TR by constructing firewood consumption scenarios covering 2018–2050. The results show that in CR-TR, with the implementation of ICS, the consumption of 354.95 PJ of firewood, 36.6 Mt of CO2e, 1.29 Mt of CO, and 163.78 kt of PM2.5 can all be avoided. The most important reduction in firewood consumption, CO2e emissions and CO and PM2.5 pollutants, occurs in exclusive firewood users and mixed users who utilize firewood as the primary fuel source, both of whom are low socioeconomic level in rural areas. Furthermore, most paying-for-firewood users often show negative mitigation costs and a high 50% IRR, while all non-paying-for-firewood users have mitigation costs ranging from 7.74 to 41.23 USD/tCO2e. At the end of the results section, we perform a sensitivity analysis of the relevant parameters, which complements this study. Therefore, implementing ICS will contribute to the solution of climate change, deforestation, and facilitate the formulation of sustainable development policies for the most vulnerable population sector of the Mexican CR-TR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to quantify the contribution of the Mexican food agroindustry to the national gross domestic product, as well as to calculate the average annual growth rate during a 27-year period from 1993 to 2019, which considered the last four six-year periods, and to determine the contribution to the manufacturing industry and the national economy. The methodology was documentary with the following stages: i) selection of the topic to be studied; ii) collection of information from secondary documentary sources, which was mainly from the national accounts of INEGI; iii) preparation of the research plan; iv) information organization, using the North American Industry Classification System of the National Institute of Geography and Informatics; and v) use of the statistical function, which for this case was the average annual growth rate. It was found that the food industry presented a positive trend throughout the period, with an average annual growth rate of 2.21% and with a parallelism with the manufacturing industry, which is the sector that encompasses the food industry; however, the latter presented some falls in its growth. The most relevant agroindustry in relation to the contribution of food GDP was the preparation of bread and tortilla with 30.15%, essential products of the basic basket in the diet of the people of Mexico. Finally, the food industry, on average for the period, contributes 22.42% of the manufacturing gross domestic product and 3.72% of the national product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude and relevance of food allergies in the preschool population remain unknown in most regions of Mexico and Latin America. Thus, our aim was to estimate the parent-reported prevalence of food allergies in a Mexican preschool population and to characterize their clinical diagnosis and presentation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Culiacán City. A validated questionnaire was utilized. A total of 810 parents responded to the questionnaire (valid response rate, 40.7%). The estimated prevalence rates (95% CI) were: "physician-diagnosed Food Allergy (FA), ever" 5.30% (3.86–7.08); "immediate-type FA, ever" 2.96% (1.91–4.38); "immediate-type FA, current" 1.60% (0.86–2.73); and food-dependent anaphylaxis 1.11% (0.51–2.01). The main food allergens were milk (0.49%), strawberries (0.37%), egg, and soy (0.25% each). Atopic diseases and a family history of allergies were significantly associated with immediate-type FA. Among "immediate-type FA, current" cases, 76.9% required emergency room visits, but the prescription of epinephrine autoinjectors was reported in one case only. The food reactions occurred at home (92.35%), in a relative's house (38.5), and at restaurants (23%). Immediate-type FA reactions requiring emergency room visits are not uncommon among the studied population. Actions like proper anaphylaxis management and the prevention of cross-contamination of foods should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nixtamalized corn flour (NCF) has gained favor worldwide due to the growing popularity of Mexican cuisine. This research evaluates the effect of the amount of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) employed during the nixtamalization on the water‐adsorption, thermodynamic, and flow properties of NCF. In addition, NCF pasting and thermal properties were evaluated to relate bulk‐powder properties to wet‐dispersion conditions. Ca(OH)2 amounts of 1.5 and 2.0% induced higher ash and calcium content as well as lower fat and protein content. Also, pasting properties and gelatinization enthalpy (ΔHgel) values, in addition to yellowish NCF, were related to Ca(OH)2 concentration. With the independence of the Ca(OH)2 amounts employed, no important differences in the equilibrium's moisture content, as well as a negligible effect of temperature on adsorption behavior, were observed. For prepared NCF, the moisture content corresponding to minimum integral entropy was not observed within the range of the aw analyzed; thus, GAB parameters are more reliable for suggesting the storage conditions. NCF with a low amount of Ca(OH)2 exhibited higher values of mean caking strength (≈1.81 N) and cohesiveness index (≈13.99 × 10−5 N m g−1), in addition to higher resistance to flow. Therefore, the amount of Ca(OH)2 positively influenced flow properties, whereas wet‐dispersion properties such as lower maximal peak viscosity and ΔHgel values were obtained. Practical applications: This study contributes useful information to the manufacturers of NCF concerning the amount of Ca(OH)2 needed to obtain NCF with desirable physical properties while attempting to affect thermal and pasting properties to a lesser extent. In addition, this study characterizes and provides the adequate amount of Ca(OH)2 employed the during the nixtamalization process to improve the flowability of NCF in industry during handling. Finally, the absence of a moisture content corresponding to minimum integral‐adsorption entropy provides clarification for NCF producers regarding the long‐term storage stability of NCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses Mexican food's proliferation in New York City from the 1980s onward and focuses specifically on the career of Zarela Martinez, an immigrant Mexican chef who achieved renown by serving haute regional Mexican dishes in her Manhattan restaurant. Martinez rose to celebrity through a confluence of circumstances and spent her career confronting stereotypes about Mexican food as inherently simple, fast, and cheap. Arguing instead for its elevation as a complex and refined global cuisine, Martinez became a culinary tastemaker and place-maker for Mexican-origin communities in New York. The 1980s and 1990s witnessed an influx of migration from Mexico to the Northeast and wider United States, and many of these newcomers opened their own bodegas, bakeries, taco trucks, and tortilla factories throughout New York City's boroughs. Together with higher-end restaurants like Martinez's, these entrepreneurs helped constitute a blossoming and heterogenous Mexican foodscape for a metropolis hungry for new and exciting food. Tracing Martinez's career against this backdrop of migration and a growing national obsession with Mexican cuisine, this article fills gaps in the histories of Mexican food's spread in the U.S. Northeast, Latinas' food-related labor and creativity, and immigrant entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds have a positive effect on obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity. The prevalence of these diseases has increased in the last years in the Mexican population. Therefore, the Mexican diet must be assessed as provider of phenolic compounds. To assess this, a survey of phenolic compound intake was validated and applicated to 973 adults (798 females) between 18 and 79 years old. We compared the phenolic compound intake of 324 participants with more diseases (239 females) and 649 participants with healthier condition (559 females). The groups differed in sex, age, and scholarship. Males, older participants, and those with lower schooling reported suffering from more diseases. Regarding phenolic compound intake analyses, the participants with healthier conditions displayed a higher phenolic compound intake than the other group in all foods assessed. In addition, the regression model showed that the phenolic compounds intake of Mexican dishes, such as arroz con frijol or enchiladas, positively affected health status, suggesting that this traditional food is beneficial for the participant's health condition. However, the weight effect of PCI was different for each disease. We conclude that, although PCI of Mexican food positively affects health conditions, this effect depends on sex, age, and participants' diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diet containing Mexican ancestral foods such as cocoa, nopal, avocado, and common bean have been individually reported to have beneficial effects on obesity and comorbidities. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of Mexican ancestral foods on the anthropometric, lipid, and glycemic control variables in obese patients was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Data were analyzed using a random-effects model. Results: We selected 4664 articles from an initial search, of which only fifteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Data for 1670 participants were analyzed: 843 in the intervention group and 827 in the control group. A significant reduction in body mass index (mean difference: −0.80 (−1.31 to −0.30)) (95% confidence interval), p = 0.002, heterogeneity I2 = 92% was showed after the ingestion of cocoa, nopal, avocado, or common bean. The mean difference for body weight was −0.57 (−1.93 to 0.79), waist of circumference: −0.16 (−2.54 to −2.21), total cholesterol: −5.04 (−11.5 to 1.08), triglycerides: −10.11 (−27.87 to 7.64), fasting glucose: −0.81 (−5.81 to 4.19), and insulin: −0.15 (−0.80 to 0.50). Mexican ancestral food supplementation seems to improve anthropometric, lipid, and glycemic control variables in obesity; however, more randomized controlled trials are needed to have further decisive evidence about dosage and method of supplementation and to increase the sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the jalapeño pepper characteristics and demand of the restaurant sector in Quintana Roo, in order to identify the supply requirements of this sector. Design/Methodology/Approach: A random sample of n=73 restaurants were surveyed online. Results: Most of the restaurants (87.5%) have been in business for less than six years and --although most of them sell Mexican food-- only 41.6% are interested in purchasing jalapeño peppers from the producers. Study Limitations/Implications: Producers must invest their social capital in order to firmly establish a supply strategy. Findings/Conclusions: The restaurants that purchase jalapeño pepper demand a constant delivery frequency, size, pungency level, and specific color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to reframe the stakes of current discourses at the intersection of Mexican cooking and modernist gastronomy. Through a decolonial approach to gender and visuality, (counter)visuality, this article demonstrates how and to what extent 'modern' and 'traditional' Mexican cookery co‐constitute and valorise one another, and how gendered expressions of culinary stewardship have become underscored by the persistent imaginary of the 'cocinera tradicional' [traditional female cook]. The article centres on the mutual dependency of two case studies: renowned Mexican chef Enrique Olvera and the popular YouTube channel host of 'De mi rancho a tu cocina', Doña Ángela. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A key challenge for integrating new transnational regulations into a semi-periphery country is creating institutional capacities for effective dissemination and monitoring of the standards and for upgrading a broad base of firms to implement and benefit from them. Instilled by NAFTA, Mexico embraced transnational food value chains, yet the results were rather mixed, as the vast majority of producers cannot implement new standards and participate. New rules and practices are not adopted on a tabula rasa but layered on prior socio-political institutions that are raw materials for new collaboration and blockage. We argue that improvements in both regulatory institutions and firm capabilities are driven by the creation of public–private learning communities, which in turn are shaped by prior institutional legacies at the public–private divide. The ability of producers to undertake organizational experiments with one another and key public actors is greatly constrained by the legacies of corporatism. Refashioned producer associations could initiate with certain local public institutions regulatory and technological upgrading for a limited number of firms, which became gatekeepers for certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a cultural point of view, Maize is the most important crop in Mexico, and is also an essential food in the Mexican diet. This study aimed to evaluate the physical and chemical characteristics of maize grain and their influence on the quality of dough and tortillas produced with three native maize cultivars from western Mexico. Physical, structural, and chemical characteristics of the grain were evaluated, including hectolitric weight, 100-grain weight, flotation index, grain structure, grain color, pedicel, pericarp, germ, and floury endosperm, vitreous endosperm, ethereal extract, and protein. Nixtamal and tortilla quality include nixtamal moisture, dough moisture, freshly made tortilla moisture, total soluble solids, pericarp remnant, dough yield, and hot tortilla yield. In general, statistical differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found in almost all variables analyzed. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that two principal components (PCs), described approximately 79% of the variation, and a positive correlation between the characteristics of freshly made tortilla moisture (FMTM), dough yield (DY), and nixtamal moisture (NM), as well as dough moisture (DM) and hot tortilla yield (HTY). Future studies on these and other native maize cultivars of western Mexico must be conducted to assess the physicochemical and phytochemical characteristics of maize grains that may be useful for food and pharmaceutical applications, contributing to the conservation, propagation, and use of natural and ancient resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the effects of the social inclusion programme PROSPERA on food insecurity (FI) in Mexican households during 2012 and 2016.Design: Quasi-experimental study using cross-sectional data from 2012 to 2016 National Household Income and Expenditure Survey - Socioeconomic Conditions Module (in Spanish, ENIGH-MCS).Setting: Data were used from a 2012 sample of 56 888 Mexican households (representative of 31 206 819 households) and a 2016 sample of 70 263 Mexican households (representative of 33 445 353 households). Severity of FI was estimated with the Mexican Food Security Scale (in Spanish, EMSA). The statistical analysis estimated a differences in differences (DD) model weighted by propensity score to compare program beneficiary and non-beneficiary households in 2012 than in 2016. We estimated the effect on households with and without children (< 18 years of age). We also compared this model to a DD model without propensity score weighting.Participants: Mexican households.Results: FI among all beneficiary households decreased 8·0pp as compared to non-beneficiary households over the study period. In beneficiary households with children, this decrease was 6·0pp and for beneficiary households without children, this decrease was 12·9pp (for all, P-value < 0·001).Conclusions: The PROSPERA program had a positive effect on FI reduction at the household level through increasing food access, which usually improves nutritional outcomes in vulnerable Mexican populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a profile of Andrew Pun, an Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego, who has recently published an article in Angewandte Chemie. His research focuses on photochemistry, upconversion, photocatalysis, and hybrid materials chemistry. Pun discusses his excitement in seeing a cuvette light up when a new compound upconverts light and highlights the importance of undergraduate research in shaping his career. He also mentions his science heroes, favorite hobbies, and favorite food and drink. The document also provides information about Pun's educational background and research experience. Additionally, it briefly explains his recent research project, which involves optimizing upconversion quantum yield through structural tuning of dipyrrolonaphthyridinedione annihilators. [Extracted from the article]

The food industry in Mexico is a precarious sector and lags behind other manufacturing industries, it is made up mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises. Its importance in the food assurance of the country requires strategic monitoring of the yield and efficiency variables that allow successful interventions to improve results. Commonly, the efficiency in the agriculture sector is evaluated as a one-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) process using a specific set of variables. In this article, we applied a two-stage process to evaluate the efficiency in the Mexican food industry. The first stage evaluates the efficiency of the production, whereas the second stage evaluates the efficiency of investments in the sector. The process is demonstrated on a sample of 1 672 Mexican municipalities using data from 2014 and 2019 Census. The results indicate a growth in production efficiency with significant differences between regions. Moreover, the results also revealed very low investment efficiency in the whole food sector with a negative tendency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literal language is commonly defined in terms of direct meaning, i.e., any literal utterance must convey a unique meaning. Such meaning has to be the one conventionally accepted to guarantee a successful communication. Figurative language, on the other hand, could be regarded as the opposite of literal language. Thus, whereas the latter is assumed to communicate a direct and explicit meaning, figurative language is related to the communication of veiled or implicit meanings. For instance, the word pozolero (stewmaker), which literally refers to a person who cooks a traditional Mexican food, when it is used in a figurative utterance, it can refer to different concepts, which are hardly related to food. Therefore, it can work instead of hitman, murderer, drug dealer, and others, in such a way its literal meaning is intentionally deviated in favor of secondary interpretations. In this regard, we are focused on analyzing the use of figurative language in an atypical context: drug trafficking. To this end, a corpus about narco language in Spanish was built. This corpus was used to train a word embedding model to identify creative ways to name narco-related concepts. The results show that various concepts are commonly expressed through figurative devices, such as metaphor, metonymy, or mental imagery. This fact corroborates that figurative language is quite recurrent in our daily communication, regardless of the context. In addition, we show how this creativity can be recognized by applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist and queer food studies scholars have read the kitchen simultaneously as a place of oppression and of liberation, where the regulations of the heteropatriarchy are enacted but also subverted. This space has been explored by Chicana lesbian poets such as Alicia Gaspar de Alba, who in "Making Tortillas" uses the images, sounds, smells, and flavors of Mexican cuisine as metaphors for sex and intimacy between women, reclaiming and, at the same time, queering her heritage. By drawing from Chicana and food studies scholarship, I argue that Gaspar de Alba uses cooking in her poem as a tool to reconcile her sexual and cultural identities, and that the kitchen is a particularly suited space for the work of mestizaje--the epistemology proposed by Monica Torres, based on Gloria Anzaldúa's theories, which moves away from dichotomies to give place for assumed contradictions to coexist and interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]