US regulators cleared the way for the cultivation of a genetically modified cotton plant whose seed is edible for people, and a new source of protein-rich food, something very useful especially in cotton-producing countries affected by malnutrition.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture this week lifted the modified crop ban, developed by scientists at the University of Texas. Now all that's missing is approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Cotton is grown all over the world and its fiber is used to make fabrics. The seed is used among other things to feed cattle and sheep, which has multiple stomach chambers. But the common seed is not suitable for humans and many other animals to eat because it has high levels of gossypol, a toxic chemical.
With the financial help of a group from the cotton industry, scientists led by plant biotechnology specialist Keerti Rathore used a technique called RNAi, or RNA interference, to "silence" a gene, virtually eliminating gossypol from seed. cotton.
The team left the gossypol at natural levels in the rest of the plant because it protects against insects and diseases.
"For me, personally, it tastes like chickpea and could be used to make hummus," Rathore said of cottonseed without gossypol.
After the oil that can be used for cooking is extracted, the remaining high-protein food from the new plant can have many uses, Rathore said.
You can make flour for breads, tortillas and other baked goods and protein bars, and whole grains of cotton seeds, toasted and salted, can be eaten as a snack or to create a peanut butter-type paste, he added
If all the cotton seeds currently produced in the world are used for human nutrition, they could meet the daily protein requirements of about 575 million people, Rathore said. Many of the almost 80 cotton producing countries of the world have populations with malnutrition, something that could be addressed with the new plant.