A team of researchers led by scientists at the John Innes Center in Norwich edited the tomato’s genetic material to become a robust source of vitamin D, which regulates nutrients such as calcium, essential for maintaining healthy bones, teeth and muscles , informs Reuters.
Although vitamin D is produced in the body after exposure to the sun’s rays, its major source is in the diet, mostly in dairy products and meat.
Low levels of vitamin D – associated with a range of conditions from cancer to cardiovascular disease – affect about 1 billion people globally, researchers said.
Tomato leaves naturally contain one of the constituent components of vitamin D3, called 7-DHC. Vitamin D3 is considered the most suitable for increasing vitamin D levels in the body.
The scientists used the CRISPR tool – designed to work like a pair of genetic scissors – to optimize the plant’s genome so that 7-DHC accumulates mainly in the fruit, to the same extent as in the leaves.
After the leaves and sliced fruit were exposed to ultraviolet light for an hour, one tomato contained levels of vitamin D equivalent to two medium eggs or 28 grams of tuna, the researchers wrote in a paper published in the journal Nature Plants.
Most D3 supplements come from lanolin, extracted from sheep’s wool. As the sheep remains alive, it is a suitable choice for vegetarians, but not vegans.
Scientists are currently evaluating whether sunlight, and not ultraviolet rays, could effectively convert 7-DHC to vitamin D3.
New regulations in the UK have allowed scientists to test this theory, but it could be a while before it hits supermarket shelves.
To make up for the current lack of vitamin D intake from food sources, two medium-sized GM tomatoes should be enough, said lead study author Jie Li, who added that it is difficult to distinguish between a GM tomato and a wild tomato.
”They taste like tomatoes,” added Cathie Martin, another signatory to the study. (source Agerpres)
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