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This article comes from the official account of Wechat: SF Chinese (ID:kexuejiaodian), author: SF

With the British government recently approving the commercial development of genetically edited foods, tastier and more nutritious foods will soon appear on supermarket shelves.

/ tr. by Emma Beckett (Emma Beckett)

Editor | Liu Jiayu

"Super food" refers to food with rich nutrition and obvious antioxidant effect. Such as asparagus, cauliflower, kiwifruit, algae, beans and so on. Superfood is often touted as especially good for our health. But at present, the concept is mainly marketing hype, aimed at selling us expensive or imported fruits and vegetables, rather than providing us with any practical significance. However, all that could change as genetic editing is now approved by the British government for cash crops.

Gene editing makes nutrition more comprehensive? Gene editing using techniques such as CRISPR / Cas9 or TALEN is faster, cheaper and less controversial than traditional breeding techniques. This is because, instead of inserting entire genes from outside plants like genetically modified organisms, gene editing allows small and targeted changes to subtly alter the genetic composition of existing crops. this makes it possible for us to create food with different characteristics.

We all know that fruits, vegetables and whole grains are good for us, but most people don't eat healthy enough. One of the ideas behind genetic editing crops is that it can improve the nutritional level of some fruits and vegetables, making it easier for us to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

In fact, many crops based on this idea have already been produced. Soybeans and rapeseed, for example, have been edited to suppress a gene to produce a healthier fat structure, making their oils more like olive oil. Similarly, bananas and rice are added with extra vitamin A. Other crops are rich in vitamin E, iron and zinc by making minor edits to existing genes.

These nutrients have been identified as early targets because they are a major deficiency in many people's diets. But clever editing may mean that we only need to eat fewer fruits and vegetables to be nutritionally balanced. Imagine that an apple can provide you with all your daily vitamin and mineral needs, so an apple a day can really keep doctors away from you.

Photo Source: sciencefocus more importantly, the food sources of gene editing may be superior to current nutritional supplement methods, such as supplements, meal substitutes and nutritionally fortified foods. Supplements contain high doses of vitamins, but they do not bring a sense of satisfaction or satiety, nor are they conducive to food and beverage socialization. Nutrient solutions and substitute meals also have these problems.

Similarly, fortified foods can add extra nutrients to daily staples, such as margarine. These foods are delicious, practical and reasonably priced. But these foods are not necessarily the healthiest choices.

Make food have medicinal value? The concept of taking food as medicine has existed since ancient times, which comes not only from the study of the nutritional characteristics of food, but also from the study of bioactive components of food. Bioactive substances are natural compounds, essential in the human body, but beneficial to health. These are particularly high in plant-based foods. For example, polyphenols, short-chain fatty acids and sterols have biological benefits for inflammation, obesity, cardiovascular health, cognition and so on.

Gene editing may open the door to the design of natural foods with pharmaceutical functions, not only to improve physical health, but also for mental health. At the same time, the disadvantage of unhealthy food caused by adding only a single functional ingredient can be avoided, and the food characteristics that may cause harm can be edited out.

Photo: sciencefocus currently, tomatoes are the first genetically edited food to be sold on the market. Japanese researchers used gene editing techniques to increase the content of gamma-aminobutyric acid (which is good for heart and mental health) in tomatoes while reducing the content of oxalic acid in tomatoes.

High levels of oxalic acid can trigger gout attacks, so the commercialization of gene editing may tend to be "prescription food", combining food as a drug with personalized nutrition. Foods that may need to be avoided due to allergies or intolerance can also be edited to bring them back to the table.

Unfortunately, what is best for our health is often the food that we think is the least delicious, so it is very important to make healthy food tastier. Gene editing can be used to enhance sweetness, reduce bitterness, and bring out flavor and aroma. This can encourage people to eat healthier plant-crop foods. Companies are already developing vegetables with less bitterness and fruits with stronger flavors.

Finding a balance, however, the complexity of food means that we can't just create new, nutritious foods, and we can't just assume that higher nutrient content translates into greater benefits. Nutrients, bioactive substances and other components in food all interact with each other. Some combinations promote the absorption and action of other combinations, but in other cases, interactions lead to absorption or loss of function through combination or competition.

Another important point is to make sure that healthy compounds are not edited out, because negative properties such as bitterness usually come from beneficial bioactive compounds. At the same time, when we edit sweetness or flavor, we should avoid increasing the calories of food. Similarly, the addition of nutrients and bioactive substances may adversely affect taste, so a balance needs to be found.

The potential improvements in nutrition and health by gene editing are almost endless. But because food is so complex, scientists need to be more rigorous to make sure they don't make any wrong assumptions about the benefits.

References:

Https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/gene-editing-promise-superfoods/

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