Scientist’s Work Advances Potential Of Cotton Seeds As Major Source Of Food Protein

September 4, 2009: 10:36 AM EST

A Texas biotechnologist has solved a key problem blocking the use of cotton seeds as a source of food protein. He was able to engineer the cotton to reduce a toxic substance known as gossypol to levels tolerable for human consumption, yet high enough elsewhere in the plant to ward off pests and disease. For every pound of fiber, cotton produces about 1.6 pounds of seed, which is about 22 percent protein. "The entire cotton industry has a vested interest in expanding the uses of the cotton plant," said an exec from Cotton, Inc., a funder of the research.

Kathleen Phillips, "Safe seed - Researchers yielding good results on food cotton in field", EurekAlert, September 04, 2009, via EurekAlert

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Scientist’s Work Advances Potential Of Cotton Seeds As Major Source Of Food Protein

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