Mexico successfully bred a new variety of beans rich in folic acid

On October 20, Mexico's Monterrey Institute of Technology announced that in cooperation with Brazil's Agricultural Research Group (Embrapa), the scientists used genetic engineering to create new varieties of beans. Folic acid (vitamin B9) is 84 times higher than regular beans.

Successful breeding of beans rich in folic acid

Nutrition experts say that after cooking, the amount of vitamin in the transgenic beans is more than 328 micrograms, much higher than the 81 micrograms of regular beans.

Illustration.(Source: businessinsider.com)

Thus, 100 grams of regular (cooked) beans can only meet 20% of the amount of vitamin B9 that the human body needs in a day, while the same amount of new beans deal with 82% of that demand. human body.

After years of research, scientists rely on the strengths of three types of beans that are highly valued in Mexico, including the Pinto Saltillo, the Pinto Durango and the Pinto Café.

Then transplant the Arabisdopsis Thaliana gene to increase the ability to produce molecules that make folic acid.

Finally, the Pinto Durango beans get the best results . This idea was implemented after Embrapa succeeded in breeding lettuce with 15 times higher folic acid content than regular lettuce.

Beans are considered popular food in Latin America, especially in Brazil, Mexico and Central American countries.

This is a food rich in folic acid, which is beneficial for human health, essential for the synthesis and regeneration of DNA, cells and the production of new proteins.