Australian scientists have bred a cultivar of bananas, rich in provitamin A.
Development biorefining fruit is part of the “meaningful humanitarian project” aimed at improving the nutritional content of bananas in Uganda, where fruits are a staple food, says Professor Queensland University of Technology James Dale (James Dale).
A project worth 10 million US dollars was financed by the bill and Melinda gates Foundation. The fruits will not be available in Uganda for the next six years, because they have to go through hard procedures.
Deficiency of retinol (vitamin A) is a serious problem in Uganda. Researchers estimate that annually, for this reason, die 650 000 — 700 000 children, and several hundred thousand are blind. Breakthrough in the research of this portends disaster in the near future. High content of retinol in a new form of bananas helps to improve vision and bone growth, health of skin and hair and normal functioning of the immune system.
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