VATIS UPDATE Article

After a rigorous scientific testing and extensive research trials amid opposition by anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) groups, ‘Golden Rice (GR2E)’ is moving closer to the marketplace in the Philippines. If an application for a biosafety permit is approved, the much-awaited vitamin A-enriched rice variety may ultimately address the health problems associated with vitamin A deficiency.

Based on documents submitted by PhilRice and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Philippines, GR2E was developed using recombinant-DNA techniques (a method of genetic engineering) to increase the amount of pro-vitamin A (mainly beta-carotene) in the rice endosperm, which is then converted in the body to vitamin A.

In 2006, IRRI and its partners began working with a new version of the GR2E trait that produces significantly more beta-carotene than the 1999 prototype, and it is this version of GR2E that is still under development and evaluation. “GR2E can be commercially released as a complementary food-based approach to existing vitamin A deficiency interventions only after passing all required tests and regulations and shown to improve vitamin A status,” said IRRI.