by Playfuls Staff |
6th March 2007
U.S. government scientists have converted unsaturated oil from the seeds of a temperate plant into saturated oil [more] usually found in tropical plants.
The researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory used genetic manipulation to modify the activity of the plant enzyme.
Brookhaven biochemist John Shanklin, the lead author of the study, said the development of new plant seed oils has several potential biotechnological applications.
He said the new tropical-like oil has properties more like margarine than do temperate oils, but without the trans fatty acids commonly found in margarine products. Furthermore, engineered oils could be used to produce feed stocks for industrial processes in place of those currently obtained from petrochemicals.
Shanklin also suggests the genetic manipulation might work in reverse, allowing scientists to engineer more heart-healthy food oils.
The research appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
© 2007 UPI
