07 July 2017. Source: ABC News

Bananas with boosted vitamin A developed in Queensland to save African lives

Bananas genetically modified by Queensland researchers to be vitamin A-enriched are being grown in Uganda, in a breakthrough hoped to save the lives of thousands of east African children.

After more than a decade of development, the first crop has been produced in Uganda using the local variety of cooking banana.

“We are getting over four times our target level [of vitamin A] so we are very happy about that,” researcher Professor James Dale said.

Vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness, an impaired immune system, and can impact brain development…