The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have identified eight spinach varieties that have shown low levels of oxalate which is sometimes linked to better health.
Scientists with the ARS’s Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit in Salinas, CA, and the University of Arkansas analyzed genetic codes linked to low oxalate levels and ARS geneticist Beiquan Mou and his university colleagues identified six DNA markers linked to genes that contribute to oxalate levels that they believe could be used by breeders to make healthier spinach.
Spinach contains higher concentrations of oxalate than most crops, but it is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide and it’s considered healthful because of its high concentration of a number of key nutrients. Reduced oxalate levels however could decrease the chance of kidney stones for those who have spinach in their diet.
