Gene Tweaks Promise Vitamin Drenched Food

Makarand writes "Scientists have identified a gene in ripe strawberries that holds the promise of creating vitamin-drenched food of the future according to this article in the Taipei Times. The gene encodes an enzyme in strawberry plants that helps to convert a protein called D-galacturonic acid to vitamin C. In a recent study, the same gene tweaked to overexpress the enzyme in a weed called thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), the plant equivalent of the laboratory mouse, churned out two or three times the normal amounts of vitamin C. The study suggests that other plants that use these genes can be engineered to have high vitamin levels."

Comments

fp

[Anonymous Coward]

jawn...

nothing here..

Effects in other foods

[YDdraig]

I'd quite like them to figure out what it is in strawberries that I'm lethally allergic to before they go adding bits of it to other foods.

hrmm

[Anonymous Coward]

"vitamin" and "drenched" just don't go together

Ripe?

[mshiltonj]

Scientists have identified a gene in ripe strawberries

Woudn't this gene also be in raw -- and even rotten -- strawberries?

Re:Ripe?

[Jackazz]

Not necessarily! Organisms express different genes at different times in their life cycle in order to adapt to their environment or gain function.

For example, humans produce a different form of hemoglobin while in the womb. This different hemoglobin protein has a higher affinity for oxygen, so it can effectively absorb oxygen from the mothers blood. This gene is not as good after you are born because it holds on to the oxygen too tightly and can't efficiently deliver it to the organs. The gene shuts off after you are born so that you are more adapted to your environment.

So...the strawberries may turn on production of the vitamin C gene because they need it to do the actual ripening of the fruit or something.

"Eat your fruit young man!" -granny

Re:Ripe?

[Anonymous Coward]

not nesessarily, though the gene is present, it may not be expresses until the "ripe" stage of growth...just as the genes for puberty are not activated until a certain age for humans....

man, go take your grade 11 sci again

Great...

[the_mad_poster]

...now kids won't eat ANYTHING.

citric acid

[Hadlock]

The gene encodes an enzyme in strawberry plants that helps to convert a protein called D-galacturonic acid to vitamin C.

going back to high school chemistry, vitamin C is citric acid, aka the slightly sour stuff in oranges, and more potent in lemons/lemon juice. stawberries always appealed to me because of their sweetness, not their acridness :(

Re:citric acid

[Cy Guy]

going back to high school chemistry, vitamin C is citric acid,

I think you mean ascorbic acid.

Though it too is occasionally added more to provide tartness (or sometime preservation) than as a vitamin supplement. It definately is not the same thing as citric acid. You might want to find out whether or not your HS Science teacher was actually qualified to teach Chemistry, or if they were just a Gym teacher pressed into filling the Science Teacher shortage.

Re:citric acid

[Hadlock]

gah. this is why we need a "-1, incorrect" mod. to mod posts like the parent (mine) down into oblivion, and then filter out all the incorret posts. oh well. my apologies for spreading misinformation.

Re:citric acid

[Monkelectric]

Citric Acid (C6H8O7) is very similar to vitamin C (C6H8O6), and is primarily used as a preservative. It occurs naturally in most of the same places Ascorbic Acid does (citrus fruits) but in much smaller concentrations.

I know all this because Citric Acid alergies are actually pretty common, and for a ceartin percentage of people citric acid makes you die :)

Re:citric acid

[Anonymous Coward]

The flavor is not a problem if what you need is a source of vitamins. You can rip off the gene, insert it in, let's say, a bacteria. And grow tons of bacteria for extractind the vitamin from then.
BTW, Galacturonic acid is *NOT* a protein, but only a small molecule that fits better as a carbohydrate.

Weed?

[spanky1]

Good, if weed is vitamin-C enriched then my doped up friends will live longer, happier lives.

let's not forget

[Anonymous Coward]

that an excess of vitamins is detrimental to health, in some ways even more than a lack of them.

If you start boosting the amount of vitamin in a fruit, you'll lose all the good balance we found in them now.

Artaxerxes

Re:let's not forget

[DrFlounder]

That's assuming that a person already receives 100% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins. If someone's diet is deficient in vitamins, as is the case in many third world countries, boosting the vitamin content can only help.

Re:let's not forget

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe you aren't from around here, but Americans aren't doing too hot in the balancing game. On average we're a bunch of fatasses. Healthier food would be a good thing. Most of us are in no danger of getting too many vitamins.

Re:let's not forget

[lirkbald]

Depends on the vitamin. IIRC, there are two general categories of vitamins- Water-soluble, and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins, which include vitamin C, are easily flushed out of the body, so excesses of those vitamins are generally not too harmful. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as Vitamin A, on the other hand, accumulate in fatty tissue, and *can* build up to dangerous concentrations.

Found some info on Vitamin A overdose here; there's also info on vitamin C there as well, but only to state that there are no known symptoms of Vitamin C overdose.

Re:let's not forget

[the_mad_poster]

Vitamin D is pretty serious as well according to Whole Health Md.

Overdose symptoms include:

Early symptoms: Constipation (especially in children), diarrhea, dry mouth, increased thirst and frequency of urination, persistent headache, loss of appetite, metallic taste, nausea and vomiting, unusual fatigue.

Advanced symptoms: Bone and muscle pain, irregular heartbeat, persistent itching, extreme drowsiness, mental changes. Severe vitamin D toxicity may be fatal.

So who's responsible the first time some yahoo mixes up a drink consisting of a Vitamin D-laced banana, milk, D-enhanced ice cream, and some vitamin laced chocolate syrup? Can we say "wrongful death suit" in the event they drink this everyday?

Re:let's not forget

[Anonymous Coward]

Beta-carotene is a water soluble "form of" Vitamin A; at worst, you give yourself an artificial tan from ingesting too much.

As to D, it seems we're actually pretty deficient overall; you still need some pretty massive amounts to cause actual injury, though it's the sort of thing you actually want to do the math for when taking supplements.

Vitamin C is sour

[A55M0NKEY]

Ascorbic acid ( vitamin C ) is sour. I really don't think a sour loaf of bread or sour milk or cheese or beef of brocolli or eggs would taste good. Most sour foods are fruits and already have plenty of vitamin C so I don't see many foods where this would taste right and be useful.

Re:Vitamin C is sour

[Anonymous Coward]

I really don't think a sour loaf of bread . . . would taste good.

I love sour dough bread, but I still agree with your point.

Re:Vitamin C is sour

[Jackazz]

Don't think so narrowly! There are genes that control the production of every vitamin, they are just reporting on the one that was published. Using what they figured out, they can find the genes for Vit. E or B or whatever they want and over express those. So maybe you'll get extra vit. E in your carrots and extra vit. A in your beef and nothing will taste any more tart.

Superfood

[Tofino]

I've known a couple of people who, as strange as it may seem, really disliked eating and food in general. They always said that if meal pills were available a la "Jetsons", they'd be the first to step up to the, er, plate. Is this the first step in that direction?

Hey, as a programmer when I'm in a hurry I'll often use protein powder + banana + milk + blender as a meal, or eat a protein bar and a veggie bar. Being able to pull a superfruit off the tree on your desk while in a coding frenzy would be the ultimate in geek food.

Of course you can't replace pizza, but hey =).

Re:Superfood

[jman11]

You don't think the body uses all the stuff that comes with the vitamins? Or is that just cruft that should be flushed out. Aside from the basic energy requirements, which I'm sure there's a minimum weight that can provide 2000 calories.

There's protein, the RDA is 50 gramms. While this provides about 20-30% of your required calories you still have to add these. As a result your "pill" is going to hve to be at least the size of a regular chocolate bar.

A pill is impossible, a bar that weighs 100-150 grams would be quite easy.

Re:Superfood

[dandelion_wine]

Man, I love food. I mean, I love it. LOVE. IT.

But there are so many meals I eat when I'm in a rush and I don't care and man, good food is expensive! So my roomies and I, well, we'd never exactly wanted a pill for food. We just wanted a very inexpensive good food replacement. Like pet food but for humans, for those times you just don't care. Maybe call if FUD with a line over the "U" for the trendies. Bobby likes it. Sue likes it. Hey, Soylent Green really IS people!

Second, are you really in Tofino? Lucky you!

Re:Superfood

[DAldredge]

Good food is not expensive. Having other cook good food for you is expensive.

Re:Superfood

[dandelion_wine]

Obviously you've never survived a semester on bread, milk, and eggs. "Mmm, a little cheese and I could make a grilled-cheese sandwich... no, can't afford it."

(and that hardly qualifies as great food)

Re:Superfood

[DAldredge]

I have. You just have to use your brain and freezer. It's not that hard.

Re:Superfood

[evacuate_the_bull]

there are many things pills just couldn't provide for you. these things are called non-nutrients that are crucial to sustaining a healthy life.

you can support your basic functions on mountain dew (that provides water and sugars) but you'll surely pay for that in the long run.

Or if you are one of these mooks

[Anonymous Coward]

From Washingtonpost.com (link may be stale):

The grand-prize winner for Distinguished Ultra-Male Behavior is Seth Brown, 23, of Williamstown, Mass. I heard of Seth's accomplishment third-hand, and assumed it was an urban legend, but called anyway.

Seth is a freelance writer, looking for work. His roommate Tom is an artist, looking for work. The two guys don't see much of their third roommate, Mandy, so they pretty much are in charge of their own upkeep, which suits them just fine, thank you. It's not like guys can't fend for themselves.

Seth has taken over the cooking chores, and for months he and Tom have eaten splendidly, without female accompaniment or advice.

What do you guys eat?

"Potatoes. Fried, sometimes baked. Salt, vinegar. We've got a dish called Smoky Cowboy Rice and Beans. And burritos. I fry burritos with beans and rice and whatever else is on hand. Beef. Baba ghanouj. You know."

The two guys were doing great, until one day something happened. Can you tell the readers what happened, Seth?

C'mon, don't be bashful.

"We got scurvy."

Not a problem

[upper]

Some of these things already exist in sour versions, which some people like. And "rich in vitamin C" doesn't have to mean a concentration so high that it dominates the taste.

• Bread: sourdough is popular in some regions
• milk: how about sour cream? Or yoghurt -- it's usually sweetened until it's mostly sugar, but the acid is still there.
• broccoli: the normal kind is a good source of vitamin C, and it doesn't taste sour.

There are probably some sour cheeses, too, but I can't think of any right now. And what is the acid produced by milk fermentation -- is it lactic acid?

minimum weights

[upper]

As a rule of thumb, figure 4 calories/gram for carbohydrates and proteins and 9 calories/gram for fats. So the minimum weight for 2000 calories is about a half pound, but that would be pure fat. Following conventional low-fat dietary advice would put it around a pound.

Of course, those are dry weights, so add a gallon of water and you're set for the day.

Re:minimum weights

[jman11]

Thankyou for making my point better than I could ever hope. Wonderful what knowledge can do for you.