Since 2012, the CRISPR / Cas9 technique has not stopped being news. Through this revolutionary genetic editing tool, scientists have been able to correct diseases in mice or modify human embryos. However, its applications go beyond biomedicine. Now, CRISPR / Cas9 reaches the crops, specifically the vineyard fields. Scientists at the University of the Valley of Napa, in California, have produced a wine whose consumption does not increase the blood alcohol level. The broth is the result of the fermentation of a type of grape genetically modified by the popular technique. The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture publishes the work.
The objective of the researchers was to reduce the amount of harmful sugars naturally present in this fruit. “Obesity is increasing worldwide. New studies relate a diet rich in carbohydrates with a high risk of overweight, “explains Rocío Lungo, leader of the study. “More than 50 articles have already been published describing the use of CRISPR / Cas9 to modify the genes of plant species. So the idea of editing the genes of plants, like the vines, is not far-fetched, “says Domenico Vitis, an expert at the Tuscan Research Center, who was not involved in the research.
At first glance, there are no differences between the fruit of the modified plant and a normal grape. “The nuance is in the flavor, rougher. Now that we know how to modify the fructose sugar gene, we may consider adding saccharin in the future, “says Lungo. The scientists also wanted to study how the absence of sugar affects the production of wine. The result was a voluptuous and pleasant broth in the mouth that dazzled Lungo and his collaborators.
The most surprising thing was that after consuming a large amount of this wine the scientists experienced high levels of euphoria but no signs of drunkenness. The analysis of his blood and urine revealed the absence of alcohol in his body. “Surely, an epigenetic mechanism still unknown alters the metabolism of alcohol from modified sugar,” says Vitis. “However, it is an extraordinary result. Who does not want to consume a good wine without worrying about the breathalyzer? “He concludes.
Source: investigacionyciencia.es
