Biotechnology to Enhance Plant Seed Oils for Human Nutrition
July 11, 2008| |
Fats and oils are essential part of the human diet. However, they are not created equal in terms of nutrition. For instance, humans can make monounsaturated fatty acids from sugar; unlike polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic and linolenic acids, which should be supplied in their diet. Using biotechnology, it is now possible to modify the fatty acid content of oilseed plants to change the relative abundance of individual fatty acids or to produce nutritional fatty acids not normally found in crop plants. A review paper published in the journal Plant Physiology discusses the applications of biotechnology in enhancing oil seeds for human nutrition.
Researchers have developed high oleic acid soybean by modifying the expression of the FAD2 gene. After many years of development and safety testing, the soybean line is expected to be commercialized in 2009. Accordingly, soybean oil containing stearidonic acid (an essential fatty acid) is currently in commercial development and is likely to be the first transgenic food oil containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid available to consumers.
The paper, authored by Howard Damude and
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