Food quiz: Can you guess what these tasty morsels are from their close-ups?

Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food. It sources from 187 countries, up from just 140 about two decades ago.

The Republic will not be spared from global food supply disruptions, which can arise from disease outbreaks, climate change and geopolitical tensions.

Local farms continue to face inherent challenges, with a key issue being high production costs, given limited land in Singapore and a tight labour force.

These are exacerbated by strong price competition from imported produce, which enjoy lower production costs.

As Singapore looks to strengthen its food resilience, The Straits Times zooms in on some of the local produce with the help of a microscope.

The fruit’s sweet, white pulp surrounds its beans.

The unripe fruit is white or green; it turns yellow, orange, red or purple when it ripens.

Its pulp is edible, with a sweet and fruity flavour.

It can be enjoyed fresh or used in smoothies and desserts.

The oval-shape pod contains cacao beans, which are used to make chocolate.

The ones pictured were harvested from one of the 38 cacao trees at Spectra Secondary School.

The school has partnered pastry chef Janice Wong in her quest to plant 1,000 trees across Singapore and cultivate the Republic’s first tree-to-bar chocolates.

This plant is used in many different cooking styles and has grown increasingly popular in recent years, finding its way into garnishes, bakes, infusions and drinks.

A viola under the microscope reveals its translucent beauty, reminiscent of underwater coral.

It makes for a versatile addition to many dishes with its mild and sweet flavour.

Edible flowers such as the viola, cosmos, cornflower, alyssum and purple verbena are among the varieties included in the edible bloom mix pictured above, and are cultivated at indoor vertical farm Nosh Produce.

This plant’s sparkling, frost-like appearance makes it uniquely beautiful.

It has succulent leaves and thrives in Singapore’s warm climate.

The ice plant, grown at vegetable farm Vegeponics, can be enjoyed in salads and as garnish.

Its juicy, succulent leaves have a slightly salty taste and a unique crunchy texture.

It is a good source of vitamins A, C and K, and contains antioxidants.

This pastel-hued marvel is among the fastest-growing of its kind, reaching maturity in five to seven days.

Though its pink hue fades when cooked, its rich flavour lingers.

The pink oyster mushroom is grown and harvested at Fogo Fungi farm, where varieties like lion’s mane and chestnut mushrooms are also cultivated.

With its meaty flavour and smooth texture, this low-calorie, protein-rich fungus is popular in meat-free diets.

However, it is rare in supermarkets due to its short shelf life, making it prized among chefs and mushroom enthusiasts.

It is small but packed with nutrients, minerals and antioxidants. Its shell is white with specks of dark brown.

This food is an excellent source of protein and also high in vitamin A, which plays an important role in maintaining good vision.

It also contains potassium, which lowers blood pressure and relieves strain and stress in the arteries and blood vessels.

People are starting to see quail eggs as tiny and cute alternatives to chicken eggs.

Quail eggs such as the ones above are produced daily by N&N Agriculture in its 13ha farm in Lim Chu Kang.

According to the Singapore Food Agency, the country’s three egg farms produce around 30 per cent of all locally consumed hen eggs.

The edges of this animal’s shell shimmer in green; the edible interior is packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and has anti-inflammatory properties.

No wonder, then, it is a popular ingredient in joint health supplements.

This native New Zealand mollusc is naturally cultivated at Ah Hua Kelong fish farm.

Large and succulent green-lipped mussels are the star ingredient in a flavourful curry and nourishing herbal soup at Scaled, a farm-to-table restaurant run by the kelong.

Fancy eating a rainbow?

This plant has colourful stems in vibrant shades of gold, pink, orange, purple and red; its leaves are tender.

It is a good source of beta-carotene, and is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which support eye health, brain power and immunity.

Rainbow chard is a new addition to Sustenir’s range of superfoods.

Sustenir grows fresh produce – such as microgreens and leafy vegetables – in an indoor hydroponics farm in Sembawang.

It now supplies more than three tonnes of spinach, kale, arugula and other salad greens and mixes weekly, the equivalent of over 25,000 servings of vegetables.

This animal is commonly found in and around reefs, both natural and artificial.

It is known for its delicate, slightly sweet flavour and firm, white, textured flesh, making it a favourite for grilling, baking and steaming.

This red snapper was raised at BluCurrent, a sustainable fish farm located off Pasir Ris coast.

The location of the farm allows the fish to swim in ocean, filtered and oxygen-rich water.

The farm also produces other fish like barramundi and grouper without using growth hormones, pesticides, chemicals and preventive antibiotics.

The seeds inside this bean are scraped out and added to desserts and beverages.

This premium spice boasts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Vanilla seeds come from the cured pods of the vanilla orchid.

Grown locally by cultivator Mireia, the plant takes about five years to mature.

It takes another eight months to cure the pods.

This contributes to the high price that vanilla commands.

The seeds inside the bean pod are also known as vanilla caviar.

This food item has high vitamin C content and powerful antioxidants.

Widely used in traditional medicine and especially in Polynesian cultures, it is valued for its health benefits despite its pungent aroma and taste.

The noni fruit, or mengkudu, is also known as the Indian mulberry.

It is extremely smelly when ripe and can be eaten, used to make dyes or fed to livestock.

In recent years, noni juice has gained global recognition for its wellness properties.

Meanwhile, the community gardeners at Bishan Green Hub Zone 1 take a refreshing approach, harvesting noni leaves to create a cooling, heat-relieving drink by boiling them down.

The images from the project were acquired with Nikon’s stereo microscope SMZ25. The Straits Times extend its gratitude to the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology-Nikon Imaging Centre Singapore for access to its imaging centre. Also to application engineer Tan WenJun and senior application engineer Haw Yuan Xin for their advice and technical support, which have been instrumental in developing this microscopy imaging project.

For more information, go to https://www.nikonimagingcentre.com.sg/

Special thanks to Ah Hua Kelong, Bishan Green Hub Zone 1, Fogo Fungi, Janice Wong, Mireia, Nosh Produce and Spectra Secondary School for supplying us with samples of their farm produce.