
USDA ARS Improves Nutritional Value of Foods
March 7, 2008 |
The U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is working on improving the nutritional value of certain foods such as carrot, cucumber, melon, iceburg lettuce, tomato, potato, and cranberries. Modern carrot, for instance, has 75 percent more beta-carotene than earlier varieties due to ARS’ efforts to improve this vegetable. The same technique is now being used on cucumber, melon, and tomato. Breeding is also being done on red carrots to contain more lycopene, yellow carrots with more lutein; and purple carrots to benefit from increased anthocyanins.
Other activities involve boosting the vitamin and mineral content of iceberg lettuce so that it has twice as much iron and calcium, Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Potatoes are also being targeted to have higher carotenoid content, as well as increased antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein.
Read more on ARS' exciting efforts at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar08/foods0308.htm
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- CGIAR Centers Form Biofuels Platform
- Framework for Regional Biosafety Regulations
- Rice Project for Africa and Asia
- Monsanto Releases Soybean Cyst Nematode Draft Genome
- Insights from a Fungal Symbiont Genome
- Unregistered Event in GM Maize Poses No Risk, Says USDA
- Agricultural Sustainability Initiative
- USDA, DOE Invest $18.4 for Biomass R & D
- Global Warming Increases Plant Frost Damage
- Perennial Peanut - Today’s Premium Forage
- USDA ARS Improves Nutritional Value of Foods
- World's First Transgenic Phytase Corn
- Victoria Ends Four-Year GM Moratorium
- Wheat Killer Ug99 Gatecrashes Iran
- GMF Approvals in Taiwan
- Technique to Maximize Use of Wild Genes
- EFSA's Opinion on Herbicide Tolerant Oilseed Rape
- GM Notifications in Europe
- Romanian Senate Rejects Biotech Labeling Initiative
-
Research Highlights
- RNAi to Combat the Rice Tungro Virus
- A Novel Mechanism that Regulates CO2 Fixation in Plants
- Maize Plants for Safe and Effective Molecular Pharming
-
Announcements
- ABSP II SEA Newsletter Available Online
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (May 7, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 30, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet