Biotechnologically-modified
Carrots: Calcium Absorption Relative to Milk |
| Keli M. Hawthorne 1,*, Jay Morris2,1, Tim Hotze1, Kendal D. Hirschi2,1, Steven A. Abrams1 |
| 1United States Department of Agriculture/Agriculture Research Service,
Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics,
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030 |
| 2Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, Texas A&M
University, College Station, Texas 77845 |
| *Corresponding author: |
Dr Keli Hawthorne, Children’s Nutrition Research Center,
1100 Bates St., Rm. 7074, Houston, TX 77030,
Phone: 713-798-7085,
Fax : 713-798-7119,
E-mail: kelih@bcm.edu |
|
| Received March 13, 2009; Accepted May 15, 2009; Published May 15, 2009 |
| Citation: Hawthorne KM, Morris J, Hotze T, Hirschi KD, Abrams SA (2009) Biotechnologically-modified Carrots: Calcium
Absorption Relative to Milk. J Bioequiv Availab 1: 034-038.
doi:10.4172/jbb.1000006 |
| Copyright: © 2009 Hawthorne KM, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author
and source are credited. |
| Abstract |
Background: Biotechnology to increase the nutrient content of fruits and vegetables is an innovative strategy to
address insufficient mineral intakes. A novel biotechnologically modified carrot which has higher levels of calcium
than control carrots has been developed.
Objective: For dietary guidance, it is necessary to understand the relative servings of any specific product that
would be needed to provide calcium compared to a standard source, such as milk.
Methods: In a crossover study we used stable isotopes to measure calcium absorption from milk in 30 young adults
and compared it to calcium absorption from both biotechnologically modified (MOD) and control (CON) carrots.
Results: Using a total meal calcium of 300 mg of which 35-40 mg of the calcium is derived from the test product,
fractional calcium absorption from milk was slightly higher than from the MOD carrot (50.1 ± 3.0% vs. 42.6 ± 2.8%,
Mean ± SEM, p<0.05) but was similar to that from the CON carrot (50.1 ± 3.0% vs. 52.8 ± 3.3%; p=0.7).
Conclusions:
Biotechnologically-modified carrots have calcium bioavailability levels only slightly below that of milk. Serving sizes
of enhanced carrots remain too large to be considered full substitutions for usual sources such as milk, but can
supplement these sources effectively. Further biotechnological enhancements of a range of vegetable sources may lead
to substantial benefits in nutritional status for minerals such as calcium with significant population-deficient intakes. |
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