14 DAY TRIAL // A new report published in the journal 'Nature' argues that scientists from the University of Copenhagen successfully developed a new technology which allows them to manage the toxins that naturally occur in various crops.
This new technology, known as 'transport engineering', basically frees the edible parts of crops from whatever harmful chemical compounds they contain so as to keep them safe from environmental threats.
This means that, whereas up until now farmers had to be very careful about the amounts of crops they fed to their livestock, those in the business of raising animals can now make the most of the resources they have at their disposal.
Professor Barbara Ann Halkier from the Faculty of Science explains how, “We have developed an entirely new technology that we call 'transport engineering'. It can be used to eliminate unwanted substances from the edible parts of crops.”
The official website for the University of Copenhagen further informs us that this breakthrough will prove to be most useful for people who feed rapeseed cake to pigs and chickens.
Apparently, this particular plant contains a chemical compound known as glucosinolates that, when consumed in large quantities, can have a negative impact on the animals' health.
Naturally, this forces farmers to import various other crops from different parts of the world in order to make sure the livestock is properly fed.
However, thanks to this new technology, the local use of rapeseed could significantly increase, leading to financial benefits for farmers.
As Barbara Ann Halkier explains, “We managed to find two proteins that transport glucosinolates into the seeds of the thale cress plant, a close relative of the oilseed rape.”
Furthermore, “When we subsequently produced thale cress without these two proteins, the remarkable result was that their seeds were completely free of glucosinolates and thus suitable for feed.”
For the time being, it seems that Bayer CropScience, a company that specializes in plant biotechnology, announced its wish to collaborate with the team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen to push for the use of this technology on a large scale as soon as possible.