"Retraction of Tang G, Hu Y, Yin S-a, Wang Y, Dallal GE, Grusak MA, and Russell RM. Contact | These efforts have achieved substantial improvements but have difficulty in attaining full coverage and above all, sustainability. The problem is particularly severe in populations where rice is the staple food and diversity of diet is limited, as white rice contains no micronutrients. Blindness is an easily recognisable symptom of VAD, but it is only the most visible of a complex set of life-threatening illnesses, including reduced immune competence, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality (largely from increased severity of infectious diseases); night blindness, corneal ulcers, keratomalacia and related ocular signs and symptoms of xerophthalmia; exacerbation of anemia through suboptimal absorption and utilization of iron; and other conditions not yet fully identified or clarified (eg retardation of growth and development). Low levels of vitamin A also contribute to deaths from infectious diseases such as measles. The Golden Rice Project was first introduced in 1999, when two professors Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer, proposed their project to Rockefeller Foundation to … Golden Rice is a public-sector product designed as an additional intervention for VAD. Golden Rice is a public-sector product designed as an additional intervention for VAD. In the late 1990s, German scientists developed a genetically modified variety of rice called Golden Rice. Fig 2. The scientific details of the rice were first published in Science in 2000,[2] the product of an eight-year project by Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg. [38] In August 2012, Tufts University and others published research on golden rice in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showing that the beta-carotene produced by golden rice is as effective as beta-carotene in oil at providing vitamin A to children. This gives the grains a golden colour, as opposed to regular white rice, which is practically devoid of carotenoids. [27] This does not constitute approval for commercial propagation in the Philippines, which is a separate stage that remains to be completed. Golden rice with higher concentrations of Vitamin A was originally created by Ingo Potrykus and his team. [35] The RDA levels advocated in developed countries are far in excess of the amounts needed to prevent blindness. The following presentation, from the 42nd FNRI Seminar Series 2016, provides more detail: “Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) among Filipino Preschool Children, Pregnant and Lactating Women: 1993 - 2013” (Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology), Golden Rice Humanitarian Board © 2005-2021 | If golden rice is such a panacea, why does it flourish only in headlines, far from the farm fields where it’s intended to grow? The author of IRRI’s featured article, “A senseless fight,” suggests that “Golden Rice is being developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which is a not-for-profit institute, and the seeds will be distributed to farmers who can resow them as they wish. Golden rice was developed to a. produce a higher yield b. use less water c. produce more beta-carotene (vitamin a) d. replace the need for wheat production in emerging nations e. make rice … [60], A recommendation was made that golden rice to be distributed free to subsistence farmers. Fig 1. In 2018, Canada and the United States approved golden rice for cultivation, with Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration declaring it safe for consumption. Sommer A. Vitamin A Deficiency Disorders: Origins of the Problem and Approaches to Its Control. [14], The search for a golden rice started off as a Rockefeller Foundation initiative in 1982. Yes, the Golden Rice has been developed through Agrobacterium Mediated Recombinant DNA Technology which led to the genetic modification of the normal rice genome to increase the β-Carotene content in an edible state. Farmers wouldn’t have to pay more for Golden Rice seed, and the IRRI has been given a free hand by Syngenta to work with the technology. Moreover, this claim referred to an early cultivar of golden rice; one bowl of the latest version provides 60% of RDA for healthy children. Golden Rice is developed through genetic engineering. Subsequent reviews found no evidence of safety problems with the study, but found issues with insufficient consent forms, unapproved changes to study protocol, and lack of approval from a China-based ethics review board. It is proven and cost-effective: two doses of Vitamin A … The psy and crtI genes were transferred into the rice nuclear genome and placed under the control of an endosperm-specific promoter, so that they are only expressed in the endosperm. Modified and maintained by Jorge Mayer, “Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) among Filipino Preschool Children, Pregnant and Lactating Women: 1993 - 2013”, Golden Rice Humanitarian Board © 2005-2021. [35][50][58] British author Mark Lynas reported in Slate that the vandalism was carried out by a group of activists led by the extreme left-inclined Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) (unofficial translation: Farmers' Movement of the Philippines), to the dismay of other protesters. Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta carotene (provitamin A, a plant pigment that the body converts into vitamin A as needed). AgBioWorld. Therefore, as long as a farmer or subsequent user of golden rice genetics would not make more than $10,000 per year, no royalties would need to be paid. Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta carotene (provitamin A, a plant pigment that the body converts into vitamin A as needed). This is the Golden Rice, called hence because of the golden colour of its grains. But behind the hype, GE ‘Golden’ rice is environmentally irresponsible, poses risks to … The way to consume golden rice is the same way as any other rice variety. The technology of genetic modification or genetic engineering was first developed in the early 1970s, commercialized in pharmaceutical applications in the early 1980s, and then agricultural applications in the early 1990s. "The campaign for genetically modified rice is at the crossroads: A critical look at Golden Rice after nearly 10 years of development. B. Vitamin-B 1 C. Vitamin-C. D. Vitamin-D. Answer. [21] or crossbred with the American rice cultivar 'Cocodrie'. At the time it became evident already that only phytoene synthase and carotene desaturase (CRTI) were needed to get the pathway going, while lycopene cyclase was not required. In 2005, 190 million children and 19 million pregnant women, in 122 countries, were estimated to be affected by VAD. Golden Rice is developed Thus, scientists used genetic engineering to add the … Sufficient caloric intake can often be misleading when evaluating the nutritional status of children. [11], In 2008, WHO malnutrition expert Francesco Branca cited the lack of real-world studies and uncertainty about how many people will use golden rice, concluding "giving out supplements, fortifying existing foods with vitamin A, and teaching people to grow carrots or certain leafy vegetables are, for now, more promising ways to fight the problem". An early issue was that golden rice originally did not have sufficient provitamin A content. [49] In 2013, author Michael Pollan, who had critiqued the product in 2001, unimpressed by the benefits, expressed support for the continuation of the research. Beta-carotene is the precursor of the vitamin A. Golden Rice was originally developed by a team of researchers led by Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and by Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg in Germany. The first Golden Rice field trial in the world was harvested in September 2004 in Crowley ("where life is rice and easy"), Louisiana, USA. You can read more about genetic modification for medical purposes in the article GMOs in Food and Medicine: An Overview by Richard Green, Former Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Manager. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has been recognised as a significant public health problem continuously for more than 30 years, despite current interventions. Golden Rice™ is a biofortified (GMO) variety of rice developed with the intention to produce and accumulate provitamin A (β-carotene) in the grain. The Development of Golden Rice. This compound is what gives this grain its yellow-orange or golden color, hence its name. Golden Rice is a good example of a biofortified crop. Guangwen Tang, Yuming Hu, Shi-an Yin, Yin Wang, Gerard E Dallal, Michael A Grusak, and Robert M Russell, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Genetically modified food controversies § Protests, "From disagreements to dialogue: unpacking the Golden Rice debate", "Vitamin A deficiency and attributable mortality in under-5-year-olds", "Genetic Stability Developed for β-Carotene Synthesis in BR29 Rice Line Using Dihaploid Homozygosity", PhilRice Two seasons of Golden Rice trials in Phl concluded, "Genetically modified Golden Rice falls short on lifesaving promises | The Source | Washington University in St. Louis", "Golden Rice is an effective source of vitamin A", Genetically modified rice a good vitamin A source, "Patents for Humanity Awards Ceremony at the White House", "US FDA approves GMO Golden Rice as safe to eat | Genetic Literacy Project". Why Golden Rice is Important? Golden Rice was first field tested over 10 years ago, but GM controversy has … [61] Free licenses for developing countries were granted quickly due to the positive publicity that golden rice received, particularly in Time magazine in July 2000. The first field trials of golden rice cultivars were conducted by Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in 2004. Golden Rice was developed in the late 1990s by German plant scientists Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer to combat vitamin A deficiency, the leading cause of childhood blindness. [32], Because many children in VAD-affected countries rely on rice as a staple food, genetic modification to make rice produce the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene was seen as a simple and less expensive alternative to ongoing vitamin supplements or an increase in the consumption of green vegetables or animal products. Vitamin A deficiency is usually coupled to an unbalanced diet (see also Vandana Shiva's arguments below). [37], It is well known that beta-carotene is found and consumed in many nutritious foods eaten around the world, including fruits and vegetables. [31] However, UNICEF and a number of NGOs involved in supplementation note more frequent low-dose supplementation is preferable. [33][34] Golden Rice 2 contains sufficient provitamin A to provide the entire dietary requirement via daily consumption of some 75g per day. The exogenous lcy gene has a transit peptide sequence attached, so it is targeted to the plastid, where geranylgeranyl diphosphate is formed. It was developed … Beta-carotene in food is a safe source of vitamin A. "Ethics in question, Tufts researcher's paper retracted". [7], In 2005, Golden Rice 2 was announced, which produces up to 23 times as much beta-carotene as the original golden rice. The textbook example of biofortification is Golden Rice, genetically engineered to contain high levels of the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene [4]. [39] In 2015 the journal retracted the study, claiming that the researchers had acted unethically when providing Chinese children golden rice without their parents' consent. All causes of death are to some degree associated with malnutrition (total 54 percent). Children and pregnant women are at highest risk. The ‘golden rice’ possesses all the usual defect… [47] Other groups argued that a varied diet containing foods rich in beta-carotene such as sweet potato, leaf vegetables and fruit would provide children with sufficient vitamin A. [24] This followed a 2016 decision where the US Food and Drug Administration had ruled that the beta-carotene content in golden rice did not provide sufficient amounts of Vitamin A to make a nutritional claim. Golden Rice is rice that has been genetically engineered to produce and accumulate β-carotene in the endosperm (the edible part of the grain). "[14] This marks the fourth national health organisation to approve the use of golden rice in 2018, joining Australia, Canada and New Zealand who issued their assessments earlier in the year. Golden Rice is rice that has been genetically engineered to produce high levels of beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Recently, malaria deaths in children under five years of age has been linked to deficiencies in the intake of protein, vitamin A and zinc (Caulfield et al., 2004). Golden Rice was originally developed by a team of researchers led by Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and by Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg in Germany. Golden Rice was not invented for profit, and after 2004, when Syngenta renounced all commercial interest in the rice, it would no longer be developed for profit. "The "Golden Rice" Hoax – When Public Relations replaces Science", "From Lynas to Pollan, Agreement that Golden Rice Trials Should Proceed", "β-Carotene in Golden Rice is as good as β-carotene in oil at providing vitamin A to children", "China sacks officials over Golden Rice controversy", "Laureates Letter Supporting Precision Agriculture (GMOs)", "107 Nobel laureates sign letter blasting Greenpeace over GMOs", "Golden Rice meets food safety standards in three global leading regulatory agencies", "Militant Filipino farmers destroy Golden Rice GM crop", The True Story About Who Destroyed a Genetically Modified Rice Crop, "Golden rice attack in Philippines: Anti-GMO activists lie about protest and safety", "This Rice Could Save a Million Kids a Year", The Philippines Rice Research Institute – Golden Rice Questions and Answers, Full list of rice varieties and cultivars, List of varieties of genetically modified maize, Detection of genetically modified organisms, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golden_rice&oldid=1004674759, Genetically modified organisms in agriculture, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 1999, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 February 2021, at 20:28. The most important staple crops in the world are rich in starch but poor in vital micronutrients. Heralded on the cover of Time magazine in 2000 as a genetically modified (GMO) crop with the potential to save millions of lives in the Third World, Golden Rice is still years away from field introduction and even then, may fall short of lofty health benefits still cited regularly by GMO advocates, suggests a new study from Washington University in St. Louis. Site map, Powered by Notepad++ | Courtesy of Open Web Design | This project should be terminated immediately before further damage is done. This feat was accomplished by Ingo Potrykus, professor emeritus of the Federal Institute of Technology, Switzerland, and Professor Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg, Germany, in the late 1990s, after several years of work, and has been further improved since then. [4] Rice is a staple food crop for over half of the world's population, providing 30–72% of the energy intake for people in Asian countries, and becoming an effective crop for targeting vitamin deficiencies. This compound is what gives this grain its yellow-orange or golden color, hence its name. VAD is responsible for 1–2 million deaths, 500,000 cases of irreversible blindness, and millions of cases of xerophthalmiaannually. The insidious problem with the media’s facile uptake of this industry frame is that it silences — rather than encourages — debate. Rice is a staple diet for many who suffer from VAD, of which the Golden Rice will help prevent, therefore it makes sense that this will be the source of Vitamin A. Caulfield LE, Richard SA, Black R (2004) Undernutrition as an underlying cause of malaria morbidity and mortality in children less than five years old. Its proponents have hyped GE ‘Golden’ rice as a high-tech, quick-fix solution to vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which is prevalent in developing countries and can lead to blindness. [8] The speed at which beta-carotene degrades once the rice is harvested, and how much remains after cooking are contested. [20], In several countries, golden rice has been bred with local rice cultivars. "[46], Vandana Shiva, an Indian anti-GMO activist, argued the problem was not the plant per se, but potential problems with poverty and loss of biodiversity. [6] There has been little research on how well the beta-carotene will hold up when stored for long periods between harvest seasons, or when cooked using traditional methods. They argued that Golden Rice could solve the problem of Vitamin A and other nutrient deficiencies, since rice is consumed as staple food mostly in poor and developing countries that … Golden Rice. The following is dense reading, but provides a factual overview of the modern agricultural genetic modification For list of scientific organisations which regard genetic modification as safe click here. A rice enriched with beta-carotene promises to boost the health of poor children around the world. Golden Rice was developed in conjunction with the International Rice Research Institute to attempt to compensate for part of the Vitamin A missing from rice-eaters' diets. [5], Golden rice differs from its parental strain by the addition of three beta-carotene biosynthesis genes. Zinc supplementation has a direct effect on preventing deaths from diarrhoeal disease, for example, while vitamin A helps prevent death from measles, malaria, respiratory and other infections ARI, acute respiratory infections. Golden Rice timeline. 32. The aim of biofortification is to improve the primary food source of hundreds of millions of people by increasing the nutritional quality of staple crops. The bacterial crtI gene was an important inclusion to complete the pathway, since it can catalyze multiple steps in the synthesis of carotenoids up to lycopene, while these steps require more than one enzyme in plants. Peter Beyer had written up a patent application, and Peter and I were determined to make the technology freely available. The Golden Rice that is being reviewed in Bangladesh is developed by the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute. However, the plant does not normally produce the pigment in the endosperm, where photosynthesis does not occur. It is being promoted in order to salvage a morally as well as financially bankrupt agricultural biotech industry, and is obstructing the essential shift to sustainable agriculture that can truly improve the health and nutrition especially of the poor in the Third World. Story Reclaiming my joy of baking, thanks to Black women. (Pelletier et al 1993). In these cases, the argument [against Golden Rice] switches to “Golden Rice is a Trojan horse”. Photo by Erik de Castro/Reuters Ingo Potrykus is a co-inventor of golden rice, which is genetically engineered to combat blindness and death in children by supplying 60 percent of the … [18] As of March 2016, golden rice has not yet been grown commercially, and backcrossing is still ongoing in current varieties to reduce yield drag. But many countries have already succeeded using Vitamin A supplementation. Golden rice 2 produces 23 times more carotenoids than golden rice (up to 37 µg/g), and preferentially accumulates beta-carotene (up to 31 µg/g of the 37 µg/g of carotenoids).[8]. Since lack of nutrition has been the number one killing in poor countries such as in Burundi. At a Glance. According to UNICEF, the estimated number of children deaths precipitated worldwide by vitamin A deficiency (VAD) every year lies at 1.15 million. The problem is particularly severe in populations where rice is the staple food and diversity of diet is limited, as white rice contains no micronutrients.