Scientists from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology – INTA of Argentina, the public entity in charge of carrying out and centralizing agricultural research in the country, are close to releasing the first genetically edited potato in Latin America.

The development aimed to turn off the gene that causes the potato to darken after being cut, peeled, or from being hit during the harvesting and transportation process. This trait, known as enzymatic browning, occurs due to the oxidation of the potato and alters the flavor, texture, and color, thus affecting its nutritional properties and the quality of the product.

The browning and bruising of potatoes causes millions in losses for farmers, in addition to promoting food waste in supermarkets and homes when consumers discard the product due to its poor appearance.

In tests carried out, they showed that genetically edited potato zest can spend up to 48 hours exposed to air without darkening , a state that conventional potatoes reach in just a few minutes. 

The [CRISPR gene] edited potato has already been submitted to the Prior Consultation Instance before the Argentine regulatory authority, who concluded that the product is considered conventional because it does not have genes from other distant organisms, which means that the potato should not follow the regulatory framework designated for transgenic crops. 

[Editor’s Note: This article has been translated from Spanish and edited for clarity.]

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here