And the περ super tomato was made. A international scientific team showed that it is possible for tomatoes to be genetically modified to produce more provitamin D3, the precursor to vitamin D3, also known as the “sunshine vitamin”.
The goal of scientists is to make these tomatoes one new dietary source of vitamin D, which will have significant positive effects on public health, as many people are deficient in this vital vitamin in their body.
About one billion people on Earth are deficient in vitamin D, which increases the risk of various diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Although people can synthesize vitamin D3 when exposed to the sun, most of this naturally occurring vitamin in the body comes from the diet, given that sunscreens reduce the production of vitamin D in the body. But many people do not eat enough foods rich in vitamin D, so they need to be relatively supplements in pill form.
Researchers from various countries (Britain, Italy, Belgium, Chile, Cuba), led by Kathy Martin of the British Research Center John Innes, who published in the journal Nature Plants, modified a tomato gene that encodes a enzyme. In this way they blocked the action of the enzyme, which normally converts this vitamin into cholesterol. Thus, provitamin D3 now accumulates in the tomatoes themselves and in the leaves of the tomato, without affecting the growth of the plant and its productivity. Provitamin D3 can then be converted to normal vitamin D3 through artificial ultraviolet radiation or can be used by the human body to synthesize vitamin D3 naturally when a person is exposed to UV-B sunlight.
The amount of provitamin D3 in a single tomato, if converted to vitamin D3, is equivalent to the amount of this vitamin present in two medium-sized eggs or 28 grams of tuna. The researchers estimate that the consumption of these modified tomatoes – either whole or in the form of tomato juice – may in the future cover the daily needs for vitamin D3 both children and the elderly (15 and 20 micrograms respectively).
Scientists also plan to do further research to increase the levels of vitamin D in other plants, such as potatoes, through genetic modification.
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