Tomates modificados genéticamente para aumentar los niveles de vitamina D
Científicos crean tomates modificados genéticamente para aumentar los niveles de vitamina D
Los tomates contienen tanta provitamina D3 como dos huevos, y las pruebas de campo al aire libre en el Reino Unido comenzarán el próximo mes.
Scientists have created genetically edited tomatoes, each containing as much provitamin D3 – the precursor to vitamin D – as two eggs or a tablespoon of tuna.
Outdoor field trials of the tomatoes are expected to begin in the UK next month, and if successful, could provide an important new dietary source of vitamin D.
Approximately 13-19% of Britons have low levels of vitamin D, which is needed to keep bones, teeth, and muscles healthy. Our main source of this nutrient comes from exposing the skin to sunlight, which converts provitamin D3 into an active form of vitamin D that our bodies can use.
However, in the UK there is only enough sunlight to achieve this between April and September, meaning we have to rely on dietary sources – such as oily fish, red meat, egg yolks, and mushrooms – or supplements. This is particularly challenging for vegans, as many supplements contain lanolin from sheep’s wool.
“Gene-editing tomatoes to accumulate provitamin D3 at levels above recommended dietary guidelines could result in better health for many especially as tomatoes are a widely accessible and readily eaten food,” said Guy Poppy, a professor of ecology at the University of Southampton.
Sign up to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BST
The tomato plants were created by making tiny changes to an existing tomato gene using an editing technique called Crispr-Cas9. “It’s like a pair of molecular tweezers, which you can use to precisely snip out a very small fragment of the gene to enhance a desirable trait in plants a lot quicker than the traditional breeding process, and without introducing any foreign DNA from other species,” said Jie Li at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, who led the research.
Referencias
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario