EGGHEADS are altering the DNA of Britain’s favou-rite potato so it cooks as fast as pasta and rice.
They want the Maris Piper to compete with fast-boiling foods and create a robust “super spud” less likely to bruise and become discoloured.
AlamyScientists are altering the genes of potatoes so they cook as fast as pasta and rice[/caption]
The UK produces five million tons of spuds per year.
But the Government-funded gene-editing project, code-named Tubergene, comes amid a decline in fresh potato sales — with many people preferring faster cooking alternatives.
Barbara Correia of B-Hive Innovations, whose scientists are working on the project, said: “Genome sequencing allows us to address issues such as disease resistance as we move towards the creation of a ‘super spud’.
“It also means that we can apply our skills more easily to other crops, thereby helping more of the UK’s fresh produce sector and safeguarding global food security.”
A new law allows the commercial development of gene-edited crops.
Rob Hancock at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland, which is also working on the project, said the tech offers “unprecedented opportunities to rapidly enhance the traits of potatoes”.
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