Q: Why Is Golden Rice important?

Answer: Golden Rice has the promise to help prevent millions of deaths and to alleviate
sufferings of children and adults afflicted with VAD and micronutrient malnutrition in
developing countries

The advantage of golden rice is that it can be used in areas where vitamin A deficiency is

common, so it can help prevent blindness. However, there are also disadvantages. For example:
beta carotene levels in golden rice may not be high enough to make a difference.

Q: Genetic Engineering was the only way to produce golden rice?

Answer: Golden rice is a variety of rice (Oryza sativa) produced through genetic engineering to

biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, in the edible parts of rice

Golden rice is a genetically engineered variety of rice (Oryza sativa). It has been modified by

inserting a gene from maize and a gene from bacteria found in soil which allows the plant to
biosynthesise beta-carotene in the edible parts of rice.

Golden Rice 2

In 2005, a team of researchers at Syngenta produced Golden Rice 2. They combined

the phytoene synthase gene from maize with crt1 from the original golden rice. Golden rice 2
produces 23 times more carotenoids than golden rice (up to 37 µg/g), and preferentially
accumulates beta-carotene (up to 31 µg/g of the 37 µg/g of carotenoids)

Approvals

In 2018, Canada and the United States approved golden rice for cultivation, with Health
Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration declaring it safe for consumption.[This
followed a 2016 decision where the US Food and Drug Administration had ruled that the beta-
carotene content in golden rice did not provide sufficient amounts of Vitamin A to make a
nutritional claim.Health Canada declared that golden rice would not affect allergies, and that the
nutrient contents of golden rice were the same as in common rice varieties, except for the
intended high levels of provitamin A. In 2019, it was approved for direct use as human food and
animal feed or for processing in the Philippines This does not constitute approval for commercial
propagation in the Philippines, which is a separate stage that remains to be completed.

Production of Golden rice: Genetic modification

• Golden Rice technology is based on the simple principle that rice plants possess the
whole machinery to synthesis of β-carotene, and while this machinery is fully active in
leaves, parts of it are turned off in the grain endosperm.
• By adding only two genes, a plant phytoene synthase (psy) and a bacterial phytoene
desaturase (crt I), the pathway is turned back on and β-carotene consequently
accumulates in the grain.
• Goldenrice was created by transforming rice with only two β-
carotene biosynthesis genes:
1) psy (Phytoene synthase) from daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)
2) crtI (Carotene desaturase) from the soil bacterium Erwinia uredovora

Figure: Gene construct used to generate Golden Rice-1.

RB, T-DNA right border sequence; Glu, rice endosperm-specific glutelin promoter; tpSSU, pea
ribulose bis-phosphate carboxylase small subunit transit peptide for chloroplast localisation; crtI
Carotene desaturase from the soil bacterium Erwinia uredovora; nos, nopaline synthase
terminator; Psy, phytoene synthase gene from Narcissus pseudonarcissus (GR1) or Zea mays
(GR2); Ubi1, maize polyubiquitin promoter; Pmi, phosphomannose isomerase gene from E

 Lycopene is then cyclized to beta-carotene by the endogenous cyclase in Golden Rice.

(The insertion of a lcy (lycopene cyclase) gene was thought to be needed, but further
research showed it is already being produced in wild-type rice endosperm.)
• The psy and crtI genes were transformed into the rice nuclear genome and placed under
the control of an endosperm-specific promoter, so they are only expressed in the
endosperm.

• The exogenous lcy gene has a transit peptide sequence attached so it is targeted to the
plastid, where geranylgeranyl diphosphate formation occurs.

• The end product of the engineered pathway is lycopene, but if the plant

accumulated lycopene, the rice would be red

 Recent analysis has shown the plant's endogenous enzymes process the lycopene to β-
carotene in the endosperm, giving the rice the distinctive yellow color for which it is
named
 The original golden rice was called SGR1, and under greenhouse conditions it produced
1.6 µg/g of carotenoids.

The Golden Rice: Solution

 Golden Rice-1: limits
• Originial Golden Rice (GR1) does not produce enough ß-carotene (Provitamin A); it produces
“only 1.6 μg/gm of carotenoids; a child would have to eat more than 10kg/day to get sufficient
dose”.
• Unexpected effect: GR1 was supposed to produce lycopene (as in tomatoes) and so be
bright red; instead, it produced ß-carotene due to unexpected metabolic pathway
 Controversy: Golden Rice…..Is it worth the risks?

Critics of genetically engineered crops have raised

various concerns.
 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 super weed and endanger the existence of natural
rice plants.
• Genetic contamination of natural, global staple foods.
• Gene flow from GM to non- GM field crops.
 Culture
• Some people prefer to cultivate and eat only white rice based on traditional values and
spiritual beliefs on Veg. or Non-Veg.
• Intervention in “Gods creation”.

Golden rice Abandon

• An early issue was that “golden rice originally did not have sufficient vitamin A”.
• “The speed at which vitamin A degrades once the rice is harvested”, and “how much
remains after cooking are contested.”
• Greenpeace opposes the use of any patented genetically modified organisms in
agriculture and opposes the cultivation of golden rice, claiming “it will open the door to
more widespread use of GMOs.”.
 • Other groups argued that a varied diet containing foods rich in beta carotene such as
sweet potato, leafy green vegetables and fruit would provide children with sufficient
vitamin A.
• Keith West of Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health countered that
“foodstuffs containing vitamin A are either unavailable, or only available at certain
seasons, or that they are too expensive for poor families in underdeveloped countries”.

Q: Limitations of biodegradable plastic?

Answer: Definition: Biodegradable plastic can be broken down completely into water, carbon
dioxide and compost by microorganisms under the right conditions. “Biodegradable” implies that
the decomposition happens in weeks to months.

Limitations of biodegradable plastic

1. Engineering problem

Biodegradable plastics are made from plants such as soybeans and corn. Therefore, there is a risk
of contamination as the crops are typically sprayed with pesticides when on the farm and can
easily be transferred or included in the end product

2. Need For Costly Equipment For Both Processing and Recycling

A downside of biodegradable plastic is that there is a need for costly industrial processors and
composters, especially those that require high industrial-scale temperatures to be broken down.
Apart from cost, there is a need for the availability of equipment, which may be a problem.

3. Risk of Contamination Due to Confusion Differentiating Between Bio-degradable and

Non-Biodegradable Plastics

These bioplastics should not be mixed with non-biodegradable plastic when discarded. The
challenge today is that many people do not know how to distinguish between the two. Therefore,
these bioplastics may end up getting contaminated and may not be easily recyclable anymore.
The outcome is adding up to the waste volume.
4. Biodegradable Plastics May Produce Methane in Landfills

Some biodegradable plastics produce methane when decomposing in landfills. The amount of
methane produced each year is high. Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and it
absorbs heat faster; therefore, it can accelerate climate change.

5. Surprisingly, Biodegradable Plastics do not Solve Ocean Pollution Problems

These types of plastics cannot decompose in the ocean waters as it is too cold. Therefore, these
plastics will either float on water or create micro-plastics which pose health hazards to marine
life. Thus, the use of these kinds of plastic cannot solve all pollution problems.

6. There is a Need For More Crops and Croplands to Produce Biodegradable Plastics

Adequate production of these kinds of plastic will require the use of cropland to provide the
natural materials required instead of producing food. With food scarcity and hunger affecting 1
out of 5 families in the developed nations and much more in developing countries, there is an
ethical question whether it is right to expand this industry.

7. Biodegradable Products Come at a Higher Cost

It costs 20 – 50% more to produce bioplastic than to produce traditional plastic. With improved
technologies and more access to materials, however, this cost can reduce significantly.

8. Biodegradable Plastics May Contain Metals

Some of these plastic products, for example, plastic bags, may release some amount of heavy
metals during decomposition. For example, the Guardian reported high levels of cobalt and lead
in one brand of this kind of plastic. It raised issues about the toxicity left after decomposition.