By Nanyang Technological University
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore have successfully bioengineered an important protein in plants to increase the yield of oil from their fruits and seeds.
Their patent-pending method can increase oil content in seeds by 15 to 18 per cent, which is a significant improvement since major oil-producing crops such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, and peanut, already have a high percentage of oil in their seeds.
This innovation can help the world in its quest for sustainability, helping to reduce the amount of arable land needed for oil-yielding crops while increasing the yield to meet the world’s growing demand for vegetable oil, especially when facing effects of climate change.
Lead scientists Gao Yonggui and Ma Wei said their method can also aid the agri-food industry in addressing United Nation’s sustainable development goals, since vegetable oil is an essential part of the human diet and used extensively in food processing.
For full report at NTU, click here.
For more on Bioengineered or GMO crops and foods, click here and here.