“A new variety of banana genetically modified to be slow-ripening and browning-resistant has been approved in Japan and Brazil, and will be grown in the latter,” reports The Doomslayer.
“Tropic, the pioneering agricultural biotechnology company, has secured regulatory approval in both Japan and Brazil for its world first non‑browning banana variety, unlocking two of the most important fresh‑produce markets globally and marking a significant milestone in the future of sustainable fruit production. The approvals clear the way for Tropic’s non‑browning banana to be imported, sold, and consumed in both countries, and grown in Brazil – enabling expanded consumer access, new commercial opportunities, and substantial reductions in global food waste.”
A non-browning apple has been approved for sale in Canada. That will make it possible to slice the apple and store the slices for a while, without the slices rapidly going brown, as happens to traditional apples soon after they are sliced.
Scientists have genetically engineered a cow that produces human insulin in its milk, which could one day make insulin much cheaper and more abundant.
Genetic engineering has led to a corn yield breakthrough in China.
Genetic engineering is providing other benefits. A gene-edited kidney transplant allowed a monkey to survive for two years, a scientific advance that could be used in the future to help increase the supply of kidneys for people who currently can’t get one. Earlier, the New York Post wrote about “How pigs will save thousands of human lives through organ transplants.” Last January, David Bennett, a 57-year-old man with end-stage heart disease, received a genetically modified pig heart at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The cost of a heart transplant in the US was around $1.66 million in 2022, while pig transplants cost less, about $500,000. Even without genetic modifications, a pig kidney worked for a month in a brain-dead man it was transplanted into.
