Researchers at Ohio State University have produced a genetically modified form of cassava that has a major advantage over its naturally occurring brethren — the risk of cyanide poisoning from ingesting the genetically modified plant is significantly less.
Cassava is a major staple in the diet of as many as 500 million people, mostly in Africa. The plant is successful there because it requires little water and is highly resistant to pests. The downside to cassava is that it maintains that resistance by producing cyanide producing substances.
In order to avoid poisoning that can lead to chronic health problems and in some cases paralysis and even death, the cassava plant must be carefully and quickly processed. In the rush to get their cassava to market, however, inevitably some farmers do not properly process all of their cassava and both short and long term exposure to cyanide as a result of eating cassava is a serious public health problem in Africa.
Enter Ohio State University professor of plant biology Richard Sayre. Along with his colleague Dimuth Siritunga, a postdoctoral research in plant biology at OSU, Sayre produced a genetically modified cassava plant that is absent the gene responsible for the cyanide producing substances. In an OSU article on his research, Sayre said,
If we could eliminate the cyanogens in cassava, the plant wouldn’t need to be processed before it’s eaten. In Africa, improperly processed cassava is a major problem. it’s associated with a number of cyanide-related health disorders, particularly among people who are already malnourished.
The next big test will be to see how well the genetically modified cassava plant grows compared to the naturally occurring version. Since cassava uses its cyanide-producing qualities to deter and kill pests, it is an open question as to whether a version with minimal cyanide will be able to achieve the same sort of yields. That will require field trials to test.
Source:
Researchers get to the root of cassava’s cyanide-producing abilities. Ohio State University, May 12, 2003.