Over two decades ago, golden rice, a variety of rice that was genetically engineered to biosynthesize beta-carotene, was created. It was intended to remedy vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. Now, an experimental "golden" potato has been created that is being similarly heralded as having the power to prevent disease and death in developing countries.
According to researchers at Ohio State, a serving of the yellow-orange lab-engineered potato has the potential to provide as much as 42% of a child's recommended daily intake of vitamin A and 34% of a child's recommended intake of vitamin E. Women of reproductive age could get 15% of their recommended vitamin A and 17% of recommended vitamin E from that same 5.3 ounce (150 gram) serving.
"More than 800,000 people depend on the potato as their main source of energy and many of these individuals are not consuming adequate amounts of these vital nutrients," said Mark Failla, professor emeritus of human nutrition at Ohio State and author of the just published paper in PLOS ONE.
The golden potato, which is not commercially available, was metabolically engineered in Italy by a team that collaborated with Failla on the study. The additional carotenoids in the tuber make it a more nutritionally dense food with the potential of improving the health of those who rely heavily upon potatoes for nourishment.
In Failla's lab, researchers created a simulated digestive system including a virtual mouth, stomach, and small intestine to determine how much provitamin A and vitamin E could potentially be absorbed by someone who eats a golden potato. Provitamin A carotenoids are converted by enzymes into vitamin A that the body can use.
The main goal of the work was to examine provitamin A availability. The findings of the high content and availability of vitamin E in the golden potato were an unanticipated and pleasant surprise, Failla said.
After 20-plus years and countless controversies, golden rice has yet to be planted commercially due to opposition to GMO foods as well as the fact that scientists have been unable to create varieties that fare well in the field. It is still early days for the golden potato, but the team is hopeful the golden potato could save lives.
"We have to keep an open mind, remembering that nutritional requirements differ in different countries and that our final goal is to provide safe, nutritious food to 9 billion people worldwide," said study co-author Giovanni Giuliano of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development at the Casaccia Research Center in Rome.
Image: Golden potatoes, seen at right, are richer in vitamins A and E, and could help fight disease in developing countries. Image courtesy of Mark Failla.