Australian Scientists Develope Super-Banana

Scientists in Australia have made what they refer to as a ‘super banana’. It is a genetically engineered banana that is super-enriched with alpha and beta carotene and they hope to improve the lives of millions of people.

The hope is that one day the super banana will improve the lives of people living in Africa that don’t receive the proper amount of vitamin A. The bananas are being sent to the United States for a six week trail to see how well they lift vitamin A levels. The Queensland University of Technology, where the bananas were engineered, they hope to have positive and conclusive results by the end of the year.

Cooking bananas in East Africa was a staple food but had very low levels of vitamin A and iron, and with a vitamin A deficiency, 700,000 children worldwide die and another 300,000 go blind each year.