Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Gene tech to grow Omega-3 canola

An alliance of Australian research organisations is hoping to use gene technology to develop a canola plant that is naturally rich in long-chain Omega-3. Long-chain Omega-3 is a nutrient which is useful in maintaining heart and brain health. It is traditionally obtained from fish oils, but declining fish stocks mean the supply is limited.

Now a $A50 million alliance, which includes CSIRO, will take the genes that produce Omega-3 from microscopic algae in the oceans and insert them into canola plants. The CSIRO's Bruce Lee says the research alliance hopes to be trialling the new canola in the next two years. "What we are trying to do is to produce an alternative source of long-chain Omega-3 that is sustainable," he said.

"That will be in canola, and it will be a consistent supply that we can either use directly in supplements or that we can feed in aqua-feeds to the growing aquaculture industry of the world." Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers

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