British Research Leads to UK-Wide Launch of Beneforte Broccoli
Scientists at the Institute of Food Research (IFR) and the John Innes Centre in UK launched the new broccoli variety, Beneforté developed through conventional breeding. It contains two to three times the level of glucoraphanin, a health promoting and anti-cancer compound, compared to standard broccoli. The IFR scientists are further investigating how the brassica phytonutrient glucoraphanin exert their effect on human health and the link between eating broccoli and lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer. Beneforté has been trialled in Marks and Spencer in October 2011.
The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive, said, "The roll-out of Beneforté broccoli to supermarkets across the UK is great news for the public and UK science alike. This development follows years of publicly funded research to understand the fundamental bioscience of broccoli and the compounds within it. This knowledge has now been translated into a commercial product, with significant potential health benefits, available to all."
See the news release at http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/health/2012/120625-pr-uk-wide-launch-beneforte-broccoli.aspx.
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA)
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