New bananas can save the lives of thousands of children

New developed banana species contains a lot of provitamin A.
Researchers have managed to breed special bananas that contain a lot of provitamin A. These so-called biofortified fruits could in the future help to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children who die each year from a deficiency of this vitamin.

The scientists of the Queensland University of Technology succeeded in their investigation to generate a banana, which contains a lot of provitamin A. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Plant Biotechnology Journal".

Experts have now managed to breed a new kind of banana, which contains a lot of provitamin A. Due to the lack of vitamin A, hundreds of thousands of children die each year. (Image: Brent Hofacker / fotolia.com)

Experts are developing new kind of bananas
Researchers in Australia have now managed to grow a particularly meaty banana that is rich in provitamin A. This provitamin is converted by the human body into vitamin A. The biofortified bananas were developed by using genes from a Papuan New Guinea banana species, which is rich in provitamin A but produces only small fruits. These genes were combined with a so-called Cavendish banana, a very high-performance type of banana, the doctors say. The new biofortified bananas have been developed by the researchers over the past decade with the help of $ 7.6 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The value of provitamin A has more than doubled
In the study, the team presented results from their demonstration of a field trial in Australia. In this, the goal was to achieve a certain concentration of provitamin A within the fruits. This goal was not only achieved with the new type of bananas, but even exceeded, explain the authors of the study. The scientists were able to more than double the value of provitamin A.

Hundreds of different genetic variations were tested
Over the years, we have been able to develop a banana that has achieved excellent levels of provitamin A, the researchers explain. Achieving these scientific results is an important milestone in the quest to provide nutrition to some of the poorest communities in Africa. We tested hundreds of different genetic variations in our lab and in field trials in Queensland until we finally got the best results, experts say.

Field trials in Uganda should now replicate the results
The produced genes were sent in test tubes to Uganda, where they were inserted into Ugandan bananas for field trials. In the next stage, field trials will be conducted in Uganda to replicate the results. Cooked bananas are a staple food in the rural parts of Uganda, explain the doctors. Bananas rich in provitamin A could help people there significantly improve their diet.

At best, the new bananas will be successfully grown in Uganda until 2021
It is estimated that up to 750,000 children die of vitamin A deficiency each year. Hundreds of thousands of children go blind as a result of this deficiency, say the authors. There are significant global shifts in the supply of vitamin A in children between the ages of six months and five years, the researchers explain. In Uganda, the prevalence of vitamin A deficient children in 2006 was 20 percent. In 2011, it had increased to 38 percent. The so-called East African Highland Cook banana is an excellent source of starch, harvested green and then chopped and steamed, the scientists explain. But this banana species has a low concentration of micronutrients, especially on provitamin A and iron. The researchers now hope that their bananas can be successfully grown by the Ugandan farmers by 2021 at the latest. (As)