Primary Beta Carotene Benefits:Heart disease. People whose diets are rich in beta carotene have lower risk of heart disease. Beta carotene works with vitamin E to reduce the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol, which lowers the risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.Respiratory system problems. High intakes of beta carotene and vitamin C were found to increase lung capacity and relieve respiratory problems, as well as protecting you from breathing disorders such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.

Cancer. Studies show that people who eat a diet rich in carotenoids, had a much lower risk of breast, colon cancer and lung cancer. One way that carotenoids fight cancer is through their antioxidant capacity. Another way that they help is to keep your cells in proper communication, an effective preventive measure against the growth of cancer cells.

Immune system. Beta carotene helps activate your thymus gland, one of your most important sources of immune protection. The thymus gland stimulates your immune system to fight off infections and viruses, and destroy cancerous cells before they can spread..

Radiation. Combining beta carotene withvitamin C and vitamin E offers significant protect against ultraviolet radiation from the sun, as well as from chemotherapy. It's interesting to note that vitamin C and vitamin E do not offer this protection on their own. This reinforces the fact that antioxidants work more effectively as a team.

Diabetes. Studies have shown that people with low levels in their bodies are much more likely to suffer from impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes.

Rheumatoid Arthritis. Studies have shown that low levels of beta carotene and vitamin C have been found to be a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis.Additional beta carotene benefits include:effective as a treatment for dry skin, eczema and psoriasisprevents oxidative damage from strenuous exerciseplays a significant role in prevention vision problems

GOLDEN RICE

Golden rice is a variety of Oryza sativa rice produced from genetic engineering

Biofortification-noun. The creation of plants that make or accumulate micronutrients

Main purpose is to provide pro-vitamin A to third world, developing, countries where malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency are common

INTRODUCTION

CLASSIFICATION OF ORYZA SATIVA

Common Name: Asian Rice

Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Anthophyta

Monocot Class: Commelinids Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus: Oryza Species: O. sativa Binomial Nomenclature: Oryza sativa

HOW TO CULTIVATE RICE Warm regions. Moist, loose soil. Minimum 10°C

1. Sowing. Seeds are sowed in a nursery or greenhouse, where specific amounts of sunlight and water is given

2. Sprouting. Seeds germinate after 2 weeks3. Planting. Seedlings are transplanted to an

irrigated field where the water is ankle deep4. Weeding. Hand labor or chemicals are used to

prevent pests and weeds from invasion. Water is drained when the plants flower and become mature.

5. Harvesting. Separate the grains from the stalks by hand, machine, etc.

6. Milling. The hull, or outer layering of the rice is removed to create polished white rice. Otherwise, the grains will become rancid during storage, called brown rice

WHY RICE?

Other plants, such as sweet potatoes have varieties that are either rich (orange-fleshed) or poor (white fleshed) in pro-vitamin A

Carrots were originally white or purple in the 1600’s. A Dutch horticulturist mutated the carrot to produce carotenes to symbolize the color of the Dutch Royal House of Orange

Global staple food. Cultivated for over 10,000 years

Rice provides as much as 80 percent or more of the daily caloric intake of 3 billion people, which is half the world’s population

WHO BEGAN THE GOLDEN RICE PROJECT?

Started in 1982 by Ingo Potrykus-Professor emeritus of the Institute for Plant Sciences

Peter Beyer-Professor of Centre for Applied Biosciences, Uni. Of Freiburg, Germany

Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and Syngenta, a crop protection company.

Golden Rice Humanitarian Board-responsible for the global development, introduction and free distribution of Golden Rice to target countries.

EFFECTS OF MALNUTRITION

Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) include; night blindness, increased susceptibility to infection and cancer, anemia (lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin), deterioration of the eye tissue, and cardiovascular disease

Nearly 9 million children die from malnutrition each year. A large proportion of those children die from common illnesses that could have been avoided through adequate nutrition

The reduced immune competence increases the morbidity and mortality rates of children

GOALS: MORE IS WHAT WE AIM FOR

Mutate rice plants to produce carotenoids, or organic pigments, specifically β-carotene (pro-vitamin A) in the endosperm, the edible part of the grain

Make Golden Rice accessible locally, free of charge to farmers, who are able to grow, save, consume, replant and locally sell Golden Rice

Vitamin A(Retinol)

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The addition of 2 genes in the rice genome will complete the biosynthetic pathway 1. Phytoene synthase (psy) –

derived from daffodils 2. Lycopene cyclase (crt1) – from

soil bacteria Erwinia uredovora Produces enzymes and

catalysts for the biosynthesis of carotenoids (β-carotene) in the endosperm

Presence of pro-vitamin A gives rice grains a yellowish-orange color, thus, the name ‘Golden Rice’

CONTROVERSY AGAINST “FOOL’S GOLD”

Health May cause allergies or fail to perform desired effect Supply does not provide a substantial quantity as

the recommended daily intake Environment

Loss of Biodiversity. May become a gregarious weed and endanger the existence of natural rice plants

Genetic contamination of natural, global staple foods Culture

Some people prefer to cultivate and eat only white rice based on traditional values and spiritual beliefs

WORKS CITED

"Cultivating Rice." InDepthInfo: Information Delivered In-Depth. 2009.

09 June 2009 <http://www.indepthinfo.com/rice/cultivation.htm>.

"Failures of Golden Rice | Greenpeace International." Greenpeace |

Greenpeace USA. 16 Mar. 2005. 09 June 2009

<http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/failures-of-golden-rice>.

"Golden Rice is Part of the Solution." Golden Rice Project Home Page.

2009. 09 June 2009 <http://www.goldenrice.org/>.

Sanday, Peggy R. "Eggi's Village: Rice Cycle." School of Arts&Sciences -

University of Pennsylvania. 09 June 2009

<http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~psanday/eggiricecycle.html>.