“It was lectin-transformed potatoes created by Arpad Pusztai that set off a storm in Britain about the safety of GM food. Now Nick Birch’s team at the Scottish Crop Research Institute near Dundee has found that potato plants transformed with lectin genes have lower levels of bitter-tasting chemicals called glycoalkaloids that make plants unpalatable to many mammals and insects.”

Audrey H. Ensminger, M.E. Ensminger, James E. Konlande, & John R.K. Robson (Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, 1994) wrote …

“The acid-forming elements predominate over the alkaline-forming mineral elements in foods containing moderate to large amounts of protein, with the exception of milk and some of the other dairy products which contain sufficient calcium to give an alkaline reaction. Whole grains give an acid reaction disproportionate to their protein content due to the extra phosphorus present in the form of phytates. Although most fruits have an alkaline ash, others like prunes, plums, and cranberries make a net contribution of acid to the body since they contain organic acids that are not metabolized by the body, but which pass unchanged into the urine.”