Cotton has been grown for over 7,000 years. Today cotton is grown by 20 million farmers in roughly 80 countries. Cotton accounts for roughly 40 percent of the fiber used to make clothing worldwide. Yet, this crop that is grown in abundance and is highly valuable on the world market doesn’t serve as a food source, but perhaps it could? That is precisely the issue that Time magazine reporter Bryan Walsh raises in his article entitled, “Hungry? How About Some Protein-Rich Cotton . . .”Walsh points out that cottonseeds are actually high in protein content and enough cotton is raised worldwide that the seeds could meet the daily protein requirements of half a billion people a year. Not bad in a world with a population of roughly 6 billion people, one billion of which survive on less than a dollar a day according to United States Agency for International Development. There’s only one problem—gossypol.
Gossypol is a chemical that protects cotton plants from insect and microbe infestation. It is also toxic to the point that only cows and other ruminants can stomach it. Therefore, in order to use cottonseeds as a protein source gossypol must be removed from the plants, or an extensive refining process must be undertaken to remove the chemical from the seeds. The first scenario might not work as plant breeders removed all gossypol from plants in the 1950s and watched as the plants were destroyed by insects.
However, all is not lost. Walsh reports that Texas A&M University professor Keerti Rathore has found a way around the gossypol problem through genetic engineering. “In new field-trial data, Rathore's team demonstrated that it can turn off the genes that stimulate the production of gossypol in the cottonseeds while the rest of the plant keeps its natural defenses.” Norman Borlaug, the American agronomist who won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in developing high-yield wheat that helped increase world food supply, believes Rathore research creates the potential for ‘“ . . . more than 40 million tons of cottonseed produced annually as a large, valuable protein source.”’
The technique employed by Rathore is called RNA interference. Rathore used the technique to construct “a genetic sequence that blocked the gossypol-producing enzyme in the seeds only.” Following lab tests, the professor turned to the greenhouse where he saw the plants not only survive, but also apparently pass on the new trait. “Rathore’s just-compiled data show that the modified cotton appears to be normal in every way other than the fact that it has instantly edible seeds.”
Since the genetically modified seeds must receive government approval before they appear on our grocery store shelves, Walsh reports that the seeds will most likely be used as supplemental feed for fish and animals. This too could benefit consumers as one of the reasons the livestock industry is struggling is the high cost of feed. More feed, in theory, should lower the costs to produce meat-based protein, which in turn should lower the prices consumers pay for the products.
Still though, Walsh correctly points out that with the planet’s population increasing and available farmland being limited, cheap sources of protein are highly valuable and needed. And according to Rathore, the seeds aren’t bad tasting either. ‘“Tastes like chickpeas.”’ Hmmmm, cottonseed-based hummus . . .
To read the Walsh article for Time click here.
Posted: 09/11/09
