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Gene-edited wheat which can make bread less carcinogenic when toasted has been successfully developed by scientists.<\/p>\n
Researchers at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire<\/a>, used Crispr genome editing which allows researchers to selectively edit the DNA of living organisms. This revolutionary technology was adapted for use in the laboratory from naturally occurring genome editing systems found in bacteria.<\/p>\n Wheat contains an amino acid called free asparagine, which is used by the plant to store nitrogen. However, when bread is baked, fried or toasted, this amino acid converts into a toxic compound called acrylamide. This has been classified by scientists as a probable carcinogen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, results from two years of field trials has found that wheat produced using Crispr can significantly lower concentrations of free asparagine without affecting crop yields.<\/p>\n This then translated directly into lower acrylamide formation in food products. Bread<\/a> and biscuits made from the edited wheat showed substantially reduced acrylamide levels, with concentrations in some bread samples falling below detectable limits, even after toasting.<\/p>\n Scientists compared Crispr-edited wheat lines with wheat which was treated in the normal, approved way by having its genetic material altered through exposure to a chemical agent to create random mutations.<\/p>\n The Crispr editing was used to target the gene responsible for asparagine production. Another line also reduced a related gene. These targeted edits reduced free asparagine in the grain by 59%, and by up to 93% in the dual-edited line, without any reduction in yield.<\/p>\n