Researchers identified a set of genes to naturally boost the level of substances the human body converts to vitamin A, important for eye health and the immune system, says Purdue University. “This study gives us the genetic blueprint to quickly and cost-effectively convert white or yellow corn to orange corn that is rich in carotenoids – and we can do so using natural plant breeding methods, not transgenics,” said agronomy professor Torbert Rocheford in a Purdue news release.
Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 250,000-300,000 children each year, according to the World Health Organization. The problem is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa, where white corn is a dietary mainstay. Insufficient carotenoids may also contribute to macular degeneration of the eye, a leading cause of blindness of the elderly in Europe and the United States.
The Purdue researchers say dark orange corn is more culturally acceptable to African consumers, who associate yellow corn with livestock feed.
Overall, the researchers found six genes that contribute to carotenoids in corn. Their work has resulted in strains of orange corn with markedly higher amounts of provitamin A carotenoids, said Purdue. Further work is needed to produce even higher levels of the substances to offset degradation of nutrients after harvest and to reduce the amount of corn African consumers would need to eat to attain enough provitamin A, said Rocheford.