Comparative analysis of key nutrient composition between drought-tolerant transgenic rice and its non-transgenic counterpart

Abstract

Nutritional composition is the main consideration in the safety assessment of foods derived from genetically modified (GM) crops. In this study, the key nutrients in drought-tolerant rice that had been generated by the insertion of AtCYP78A7 encoding cytochrome P450 protein were analyzed. Results were compared with those obtained from its non-transgenic counterpart and other commercial rice. When transgenic rice lines 10B-5 and 18A-4 were compared with the non-transgenic counterpart, no significant differences were found in their contents of proximates, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Except for fiber contents and levels of vitamin B2, most of the measured values fit within the reference ranges established for other commercial rice. These results indicate that the key nutritional composition of drought-tolerant transgenic rice is substantially equivalent to its non-transgenic counterpart. Therefore, insertion of AtCYP78A7 to improve drought tolerance does not change the constitution and quality of key nutrients in brown rice.