一种新的“黄金大米”将很快在孟加拉国种植

一种新的“黄金大米”将很快在孟加拉国种植

Golden rice: It sounds like something far too valuable to eat, or maybe like some mythical food consumed by the gods. But it could soon make its way into the world's food supply by the year 2021, reports Science Magazine.

黄金大米:听起来好像是太贵重而不能吃的东西，或者可能是神吃的神秘食物。但据《科学》杂志报道，到2021年，它可能很快就会进入世界粮食供应市场。

Grains of golden rice compared to white rice. (Photo: International Rice Research Institute/CC by 2.0)

Golden rice was actually first developed back in the 1990s by German scientists who were looking for inventive ways to reduce rates of vitamin A (beta carotene) deficiency, which continues to be a major nutritional concern throughout the developing world. The beta carotene that this rice is infused with, which comes from the maize genome, is actually what gives it that distinctive golden color. Developing it was filled with noble intent, but as with all genetically modified crops, it also has its fair share of critics.

事实上，黄金大米最早是在上世纪90年代由德国科学家开发出来的，当时他们正在寻找创新的方法来降低维生素A(-胡萝卜素)缺乏症的发病率，而维生素A缺乏症在整个发展中国家仍然是一个主要的营养问题。这种大米中含有来自玉米基因组的-胡萝卜素，正是它赋予了大米独特的金色。开发它充满了崇高的意图，但就像所有转基因作物一样，它也遭到了不少批评。

Those critics warn that genetic modification is an unnecessary and potentially dangerous way of solving malnutrition around the world. Until now, those voices have prevented golden rice from being cultivated anywhere, but that's about to change. Bangladesh is now poised to become the first country to approve golden rice for planting, which means we could soon see it flooding the market, especially across Asia where rice consumption and vitamin A deficiency are both prolific.

这些批评人士警告说，基因改造是解决全世界营养不良问题的一种不必要的、有潜在危险的方法。到目前为止，这些声音阻止了黄金大米在任何地方的种植，但这种情况即将改变。孟加拉国现在有望成为第一个批准种植黄金大米的国家，这意味着我们可能很快就会看到黄金大米充斥市场，尤其是在大米消费和维生素A缺乏症都很严重的亚洲。

"It is really important to say we got this over the line," said Johnathan Napier, a plant biotechnologist at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, United Kingdom.

英国哈彭登罗瑟斯特德研究所的植物生物技术专家乔纳森·纳皮尔说:“说我们做到了这一点真的很重要。”

While golden rice has already been approved for consumption by regulators in some key markets in the developed world, including within the United States, there haven't been any plans to actually cultivate the crop, which is why you can't find it at the supermarket. Bangladesh might be a better market for growing and distributing the crop, however, because vitamin A deficiency there remains a major concern, where it affects about 21% of children.

尽管包括美国在内的发达国家一些主要市场的监管机构已经批准了黄金大米的消费，但还没有任何实际种植黄金大米的计划，这就是为什么你在超市找不到黄金大米的原因。不过，孟加拉国可能是种植和分配这种作物的更好市场，因为该国仍存在维生素a缺乏症这一主要问题，该国约有21%的儿童受到维生素a缺乏症的影响。

Despite panic from critics, early testing of golden rice has been promising. For instance, researchers at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) found no new farming challenges with the crop and no significant differences in quality, with the exception that golden rice was more nutritious than traditional varieties. Officials are still running projections about the environmental impacts of this crop, such as its potential to become an invasive weed, but if those results are also encouraging, then golden rice will have received all the approval it needs to move forward with planting.

尽管受到了批评人士的恐慌，但黄金大米的早期试验还是很有希望的。例如，孟加拉国水稻研究所(BRRI)的研究人员发现，除了黄金大米比传统品种更有营养外，这种作物没有新的农业挑战，在质量上也没有显著差异。官员们仍在对这种作物的环境影响进行预测，比如它有可能成为一种入侵性杂草，但如果这些结果也令人鼓舞，那么黄金大米将获得推进种植所需的所有批准。

Whether or not there will be a voracious market for the crop remains to be seen. It will need to gain the public's trust, and it's uncertain whether golden rice will offer a better nutritional bang for the buck compared to other sources of vitamin A, such as other vegetables where it occurs naturally. Still, it's a major step forward for proponents of genetic modification, such as scientists at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is an important part of the funding arm of this movement.

这种作物是否会有一个巨大的市场还有待观察。黄金大米需要获得公众的信任，而且目前还不确定黄金大米是否会比其他来源的维生素a提供更好的营养，比如其他天然来源的蔬菜。尽管如此，这对基因改造的支持者来说还是向前迈出了一大步，比如比尔和梅琳达·盖茨基金会的科学家，该基金会是这场运动的一个重要资助机构。

If golden rice does prove to be successful in Bangladesh, then it could open the flood gates for GM crops worldwide. Additional varieties are already in development, such as varieties better adapted to other seasons or locations.

如果黄金大米在孟加拉国被证明是成功的，那么它将为全世界的转基因作物打开大门。其他品种已经在开发中，例如更适合其他季节或地点的品种。

"It would be great to see it approved," said Napier. "It's been a long time coming."

纳皮尔说:“如果能得到批准，那就太好了。”“这是一个漫长的过程。”