Chapter 503 499. Magical sweet potato, hard to make

Ten minutes passed in a flash.

When the oven is turned on again.

huh~~
A rich sweet fragrance permeates everything.

The fragrance is not overbearing, it seems to be a mixture of the warmth of the charcoal fire and the sweetness of the sweet potato itself, with a little bit of burnt aroma.

The skin of some sweet potatoes has cracked slightly, revealing the red and yellow flesh inside, which is shining with a shiny luster, tempting and intoxicating.

It’s the warmth of autumn…

After the fragrance dissipates.

The originally noisy cafeteria gradually became quiet.

It turned into the sound of heavy inhalation.

The sound of taking a deep breath was so loud that it could be heard through a door.

"Take it out and let us all try it together." Luo Yihang called out to Luo Qingcai and opened the kitchen door first.

Hula~~
The group of students gathered at the door all ran away.

What's going on? Are you coming to the door to smell it?

After Luo Yihang and Wenying left the kitchen, Luo Qingcai and a kid followed them out, wearing heat-resistant gloves and each holding a plate of roasted sweet potatoes.

Before leaving, Luo Qingcai winked at the kids inside.

The kids inside nodded, and a few of them opened the steamer, poked it with chopsticks, and found that it was cooked, so they poured the steamed sweet potatoes into a bowl and brought it out.

The remaining kid picked up the plate of roasted sweet potatoes that had not been taken out, opened the freezer and stuffed them in, and turned on the quick-freeze function.

The baked and steamed sweet potatoes were placed on the long table in the middle for the students to help themselves.

Luo Yihang also took a grilled one.

Now the surface temperature of the roasted sweet potato has dropped slightly. After picking it up, the skin feels a little hard, as if it is covered with a layer of sugar shell.

Just like peeling a shrimp, the outer skin of the sweet potato comes off, revealing the red and yellow flesh inside.

Put it in your mouth and take a light bite.

Wow.

It's hot, soft, and a little tender, and tastes a bit like fine red bean paste.

But it just tastes similar.

As for the taste, the first feeling is sweet, very sweet.

However, it is not the simple sweetness of sugar, but a complex, multi-layered sweetness that includes the sweetness of the sweet potato itself and the burnt sweetness of charcoal roasting.

It is different from the freshness of flowers, nor the sourness and sweetness of fruits. It is a deep and simple sweetness with the scent of earth and sunshine.

This is the smell of autumn, warm and mellow, as if it can dispel sorrow.

It seems that no matter how the world changes, there are always some simple and beautiful things that can warm people's hearts, make people forget their troubles, and leave only sweet memories.

This piece of roasted sweet potato makes people become artistic.

This is sweetness, which awakens dopamine and brings people a sense of happiness.
-
While Luo Yihang was savoring the delicious food, the college students also got their own portions of sweet potatoes.

The students expressed their emotions much more freely.

In the cafeteria, praises such as “Wow!”, “Awesome!” and “So sweet!” can be heard everywhere.

Some people even exclaimed in surprise, "There's no muscle at all!"

Ok?
After his reminder, Luo Yihang also discovered that there was not a single bit of tendon in the sweet potato, so it tasted so smooth.

This sweet potato is so weird.

First the yield was so low. Now I find that the taste is so good, so sweet, and even without any tendons.

Why?

All the problems pointed to Wenying.

Wenying smiled and stood in the middle of the cafeteria. She asked everyone a question, "Do you know the difference between sweet corn and regular corn?"

This question is simple, and the students present raised their hands to speak, "Sweet corn is mainly eaten fresh, and ordinary corn is mostly used for feed and processing," "Sweet corn is high in sugar, and ordinary corn is high in starch," and "Sweet corn starch synthesis is blocked, so more sugar accumulates."

After hearing the last answer, Wenying nodded and asked another question, "Why is starch synthesis blocked in sweet corn?"

"Gene mutation." The students answered quickly.

"What mutations have occurred?" Wenying continued to ask.

"This one……"

This involves a blind spot in knowledge.

Seeing that the students could not give an answer, Wenying explained herself, "Sweet corn is a common corn kernel with a genome mutation in the starch synthesis pathway. The mutant gene affects sucrose synthase (SS), soluble starch synthase (SSS), bound starch synthase (GBSS), starch branching enzyme (SBE) and debranching enzyme. The starch synthesis rate is significantly affected, resulting in a large accumulation of sugar substances in the endosperm."

At this point, a student who had listened carefully in the morning immediately responded, "So you found similar gene mutations in sweet potatoes through gene homology?"

Wenying nodded. "Yes, I found a similar genome in sweet potatoes through gene homology, and then used molecular markers and certain radiation mutagenesis to block starch synthesis in sweet potatoes. Then we have the changes you see today."

"Are all the changes caused by this one reason?" a good student asked.

Wenying nodded again with relief, "Yes, it's all because of this."

Next are some examples.

"Let's talk about production first."

"We all know that the yield of sweet corn is less than that of ordinary corn. One reason is that starch synthesis is blocked and the starch content in the endosperm of sweet corn is reduced, which may lead to smaller kernels and thus affect the yield per unit area."

"This may not be too obvious in corn, but when it comes to sweet potatoes, it becomes what you see today. The sweet potatoes are relatively small. The yield is naturally low."

"Let's talk about sugar."

"It goes without saying that since the conversion of sugar into starch is blocked, the content of soluble sugars, mainly sucrose, fructose and glucose, will naturally increase. It's the same principle as sweet corn."

"Finally, there is what you call tendon, or crude fiber."

"This is actually a type of insoluble dietary fiber, which is mainly found in plant cell walls. Starch synthesis is blocked and sugar accumulates. This mutation also affects the formation of cell walls, reducing the content of insoluble dietary fiber. In addition, sugar accumulates rapidly during the ripening process and also occupies volume space, thereby reducing the relative content of insoluble dietary fiber."

"As a result, the characteristics we see today are low yield, high sweetness, soft texture, and no gluten."

After Wenying's explanation, the students present suddenly understood.

It’s connected, connected with the lecture in the morning.

It turns out that Breeding 4.0 can be used in this way.

When you see a crop with good characteristics, pick it and put it on top of other crops, without even worrying about whether they are the same species.

A fruit or a rhizome is just synthesizing starch, so you can just move it over.

It's simply amazing.

In this explanation, we will compare the sweet potato in front of us with the well-known sweet corn one by one.

Even Luo Qingcai, an uneducated guy, can understand it.

She came out from the kitchen, holding a piece of sweet potato, and ate it with a spoon, leaning against the door sill and listening with relish.

Luo Yihang turned around and saw Luo Qingcai eating sweet potatoes.

Suddenly I felt something was wrong.

"Luo Qingcai, what are you eating?"

(End of this chapter)