nature/nbt/journal/v33/n1/full/nbt.3110.html Status and market potential of transgenic biofortified crops Hans De Steur et al Nature Biotechnology 33, 25–29 (2015) doi:10.1038/nbt.3110 This month marks the 15th anniversary of the publication of pro-vitamin A–enriched Golden Rice1. As the crop still awaits regulatory approval, its developers have little reason to celebrate. Golden Rice is not alone in facing a political and regulatory blockade. Several other biofortified transgenic crops also await authorization, in contrast to numerous staple crops with elevated micronutrient content developed through conventional breeding techniques that are available for consumption around the world. Currently, genetically modified (GM) crops approved for cultivation are all products with improved agronomic traits— so-called first-generation traits that mainly benefit farmers in the developed and developing world2, 3, rather than consumers. Despite the global growth in transgenic acreage of first-generation crops, there is now a world-wide regulatory slowdown4, 5 in approvals of GM crops, and agbiotech remains politically controversial in Europe6 and elsewhere7, 8. The case of Golden Rice illustrates how second-generation GM crops face commercialization barriers similar to those the preceding generation of crops faced9, with their benefits often ineffectively communicated to the public10. Nevertheless, in the past two decades, agbiotech research has steadily extended its focus toward food crops with enhanced quality traits that carry tangible benefits for consumers. Golden Rice exemplifies the way in which transgenic technology can expand the range of micronutrient strategies available to malnourished populations, especially in poor rural regions, where industrial infrastructure and educational efforts are often lacking and/or can be difficult to implement. Indeed, despite numerous efforts to tackle vitamin and mineral deficiencies through supplementation, industrial fortification or dietary diversification, deficiencies remain widespread among two billion people (Fig. 1). This is especially the case in developing regions, where monotonous diets, mainly or solely consisting of staple crops, provide the daily caloric intake of the population11. Here, biofortified crops can play an important alternative, agriculture-based strategy to alleviate the burden of micronutrient malnutrition12.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 18:15:22 +0000
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