Can a foreign protein improve the amino acid balance of corn?

**Corn grain** is an important component of feed for non-ruminant animals and food for humans. It is an excellent source of **starch**, but is a poor source of protein nutrition. Protein content is low, usually less than 10% of the kernel mass, and moreover, the quality of **maize protein** is not ideal. Maize protein is deficient in certain amino acids—**lysine**, **tryptophan**, and **methionine**—that are required by non-ruminant animals (including humans). To remedy these deficiencies, protein supplements are provided to create a well-balanced diet, which adds to the cost of feed and food. Genetic improvements that increase the levels of lysine, tryptophan, and methionine have been actively sought by researchers for the past fifty years. Recently, several approaches involving one or more **transgenes** have been successful1,2,3. Whole article on "checkbiotech":[ http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/2008-06-11/Can_a_foreign_protein_improve_the_amino_acid_balance_of_corn_/]

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