Transgenic Plants Produce 'Fish Oils' : Study

U.K. scientists have genetically engineered false flax plant (Camelina sativa) to produce omega-3 oils. The amount of 'fish oil' in these plants is comparable to that found in oily fish. 

Omgea-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are required for certain functions in the body. Many experts believe that omega-3 in diet helps protect the heart.

In the U.S., the main sources of omega 3 fatty acids are vegetable oils, particularly canola and soybean oils and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and tuna, says National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Rothamsted Research scientists have now found a way to increase the production of Omega-3 oils eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by genetically engineering oilseed crop false flax, Camelina sativa, according toTCEtoday.com.

Omega-3 fatty acids are generally produced by small diatoms that are eaten by little fish. These small fish are in turn eaten by large fish such as salmon, which then accumulate large amounts of the oils in their bodies.

False flax was chosen for the current study because the plant already produces a-linolenic acid (ALA), which is an important precursor to EPA and DHA. The research not only unearthed a way to have a terrestrial source of the oil, but also uncovered the mechanism by which plants produce oils, TCEtoday.com reported.

"Having identified in marine algae and other photosynthetic marine organisms the essential genes required to make these beneficial oils, we assembled them together and we introduced them to the Camelina plant," Dr Olga Sayanova, Rothamsted Research scientist

"In the first instance, we introduced five genes and on average 24% of the total oil content in the plant seed was EPA. Then we introduced seven genes and in that case on average 8% of the total oil content in the seed of the plant was DHA and 11% EPA. We had instances that these percentages were 14% and 12% respectively," Sayanova explained in a news release.

Researchers said that the amount of omega-3 oil produced by the transgenic plant was comparable to that found in fish.

Their study is published in the journal The Plant Journal.