Plants produce omega-3

Omega- 3 is one of the nutrients that have done in the last few years an outstanding career . It is known that improves the condition of the heart, prevent cancer formation, helps to increase intellectual capacity and treat mood disorders . We also know that most of them are found in oily fish . Culturing of the latter , however, is expensive. Scientists have developed so clever way to modify the plant to produce omega- 3 and were fodder for fish. In one fell swoop solve the whole range of economic issues.

To the body of the fish created cocktail valuable fatty acids , some components must be provided them with food . Under natural conditions, this is done with a simple digestive chain - algae produce substances that, when eaten by small fish are transformed into valuable fatty acids, then small fish are eaten by predators , and omega- 3 blend in their tissues . From the point of view of human food most profitable to eat these large predators . Thus , inter alia, the popularity of salmon.
The problem is that the salmon that reach our tables in most cases farmed fish . To contain omega- 3 fatty acids , they are being caught before the oil from fish. Mass fish catches , which are needed to breeders feed lead to overfishing of the seas and some grotesque situation in which up to 80 percent . harvested in the world of fish oil used as feed in fish farms ...

There is , however, a vision very innovative solution to this problem. In the UK, just going experimental work on modified plant whose natural unique feature is the ability to produce omega- 3 fatty acids . A small genetic manipulation makes Camelina seed ( a species of plant in the family Brassicaceae , formerly cultivated as an oil plant , now occurring in the fields as a weed ) produces all components for a final , good for the health of fish oil . If you can grow it on an industrial scale can be a valuable replacement harvested as forage fish. Researchers , however, goes a step further - find the thus prepared omega- 3 fatty acids can be added to other foods , such as margarine.

How did the new version of Camelina ?

Plants were introduced into the organism several genes that algae cells are responsible for the formation of acids : eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA ) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) .