Corn Research
"Corn
cuts the carbs; Low-sugar, high-protein maize may
help the malnourished"
This report is in the May 11 issue of Nature (Science
Update). It states in part that " ... A
genetically engineered breed of corn with half the
usual amount of carbohydrates but double the fat and
protein has been created by researchers in
California. If the prototype corn can be grown
commercially it could find a market among the crowd
following low-carbohydrate diets, for whom standard
sweetcorn is not allowed. But creator Daniel Gallie's
main hope is that the new corn breed will supplement
protein-deficient diets in Africa and South America.
It might also prove a boon to farmers who want
high-energy corn for their pigs and chickens. Gallie
and his colleagues of the University of California,
Riverside, stumbled on the low-carb corn when
studying its flowers, which come in pairs called
florets. Normally, only one floret in each pair is
pollinated and this survives to make a corn kernel,
similar to those on ears of sweetcorn. Inside each
kernel is an embryo rich in protein and oils, which
will sprout a new seedling, and a carbohydrate-rich
endosperm that nourishes it. Gallie genetically
engineered corn plants so that the flowers produce a
hormone that enables both florets to survive and to
be polinated. The resulting corn kernels contain two
embryos and a smaller, squashed endosperm.
Consequently, the corn packs double the normal amount
of protein and fat and half the carbohydrate
...".
The complete text of the Nature article is posted at http://www.nature.com/nsu/nsu_pf/040510/040510-1.html
The journal article, titled "Senescence-induced expression of cytokinin reverses pistil abortion during maize flower development" by Todd E. Young, Jane Giesler-Lee, and Daniel R. Gallie is published in the June 2004 issue of The Plant Journal at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2004.02093.x/full/
A paid subscription or the payment of an access fee is required to access the journal article. Reprint requests and questions may be directed to Daniel Gallie by e-mail at Daniel.Gallie@UCR.edu.
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