“Orange” Cauliflower Gene as Nutrient Booster

Scientists working with the United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) hope that a gene from an orange cauliflower plant found nearly three decades ago will provide a solution to Vitamin A deficiency. The gene, dubbed “Or” for the color orange, was isolated last year by researchers at ARS and Cornell University. The Or gene is a semi-dominant gene mutation that promotes high beta-carotene accumulation in various plant tissues in cauliflower that normally lack carotenoids. Carotenoids, which include beta-carotene, are converted inside the body into Vitamin A. The researchers will be using the gene to induce high levels of beta-carotene in food crops.

Read the news article at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/070117.htm.