News:Genetically Modified Cottonseed May Provide Human Food
Washington (AP) - For thousands of years, cotton has been one of the most important crops for clothing and shelter. Now, it might also become a source of food.
A chemical called gossypol makes cottonseed inedible for humans. However, some is used in feed for cattle, which are less affected by the toxin.
Now, Texas A-and-M University researchers have genetically modified cotton to produce seeds with little or no gossypol. It's a step they say could help provide valuable protein to millions of people.
Their findings are reported in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Keerti Rathore of A-and-M's Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology says the modified plants still have gossypol in their stems and leaves where it helps resist insects. The chemical is significantly reduced in the seed -- which is 23 percent protein.
Cottonseed is pressed for oil, and in the United States about half of the remaining meal goes into animal feed. Rathore says that with the gossypol removed, the meal can be ground into flour and used in cooking.
Rathore's research was funded by the Texas Cotton Biotechnology Initiative, Cotton Incorporated and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
