Planting the Seeds for Folate Enrichment

Researchers at the University of Florida in the U.S. have developed genetically modified (GM) tomatoes with 20 times the normal level of folate. Folate is the name given to a family of related compounds that are a type of vitamin B; the compounds are needed to prevent birth defects and health problems in adults, such as vascular disease and cancer. The GM tomatoes developed by the researchers contain more folate per gram than any other food. One hundred grams of the tomatoes would deliver more than half of the recommended daily folate intake for adults. Biochemist Andrew D. Hanson of the University of Florida "laments" that consumer rejection of GM foods in the U.S. and the EU has become more marked since the beginning of the research project.... Whole article "www.merid.org":[ http://www.merid.org/fs-agbiotech/more.php?id=6004]

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