Researchers at Seoul National University in South Korea used CRISPR gene editing to create tomatoes with more provitamin D3 (ProVitD3). Their paper was published in GEN Biotechnology.
The body needs provitamin D3 to make active vitamin D3, and it helps protect skin from ultraviolet radiation. People’s vitamin D levels often drop below normal because they don’t get enough sunlight. Supplements help, as do natural sources of vitamin D such as fish, egg yolks and beef liver. In the gene-edited tomatoes, ProVitD3 reached 6 mcg per gram of dry matter. The recommended daily dose of vitamin D is 20 mcg, so the authors say one ripe 150 g tomato could go a long way toward closing a vitamin D gap.
The debate over the safety of gene-edited food isn’t settled, and such products aren’t allowed on store shelves in every country. One question under discussion is whether crops made with CRISPR should be exempt from the bans that apply to GMO crops. Japan, for example, has approved gene-edited crops for sale. South Korea has not lifted its ban yet. Ukraine’s GMO law does not use the phrase “genome editing” at all, and what follows from that is covered in our piece on the new law.
