Scientists develop gene-edited wheat that can make toasted bread less carcinogenic
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#1
Researchers at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire have developed gene-edited wheat that produces bread with substantially reduced levels of acrylamide, a probable carcinogen.
赫特福德郡洛桑研究所的研究人員開發出了一種基因編輯小麥，這種小麥製作出的麵包中，丙烯醯胺（一種可能的致癌物）含量大幅降低。
#2
The breakthrough, achieved through CRISPR genome editing technology, could have profound implications for food safety across the baking industry worldwide.
這項透過 CRISPR 基因編輯技術實現的突破，可能對全球烘焙業的食品安全產生深遠影響。
#3
Wheat naturally contains free asparagine, an amino acid the plant utilises for nitrogen storage.
小麥天然含有游離天門冬醯胺，這是一種植物用來儲存氮的胺基酸。
#4
When bread is baked, fried, or toasted, this compound undergoes a chemical transformation into acrylamide, which scientists have classified as a probable carcinogen.
當麵包經過烘烤、油炸或烤製時，這種化合物會發生化學轉化，變成丙烯醯胺，科學家已將其歸類為可能的致癌物。
#5
It is precisely this biochemical pathway that the CRISPR editing technique was designed to disrupt.
正是這條生化路徑，被設計為 CRISPR 基因編輯技術所要阻斷的目標。
#6
Two years of field trials have demonstrated that CRISPR-edited wheat can achieve significantly lower concentrations of free asparagine without compromising crop yields.
兩年的田間試驗已證明，經 CRISPR 基因編輯的小麥可以在不損害農作物產量的情況下，顯著降低游離天門冬醯胺的濃度。
#7
Targeted edits to the gene responsible for asparagine production reduced the amino acid in grain by fifty-nine percent.
針對負責天門冬醯胺生成的基因進行的標靶編輯，使穀物中的該氨基酸減少了百分之五十九。
#8
Notably, bread and biscuits produced from this gene-edited wheat showed acrylamide levels so low that some samples fell below detectable limits after toasting.
值得注意的是，由這種基因編輯小麥製成的麵包和餅乾顯示出的丙烯醯胺含量極低，以至於某些樣本在烘烤後低於可檢測的極限。
#9
The scientists compared CRISPR-edited wheat lines with conventionally modified varieties whose genetic material had been altered through chemical mutagenesis.
科學家們將 CRISPR 基因編輯的小麥品系與遺傳物質經由化學誘變改變過的傳統改良品種進行了比較。
#10
Unlike the latter approach, which induces random mutations throughout the genome, CRISPR enables researchers to target specific genes with surgical precision.
不同於後者誘導整個基因組隨機突變的方法，CRISPR 使研究人員能夠以手術般的精確度鎖定特定基因。
#11
Had this technology not been adapted from naturally occurring editing systems found in bacteria, such targeted modifications would remain beyond our reach.
若非這項技術是改編自細菌中天然存在的編輯系統，這類精準的目標修飾將依然是我們力所不及的。
#12
Should regulatory bodies approve this gene-edited wheat for commercial cultivation, it could fundamentally reshape how the food industry addresses carcinogenic risks in baked goods.
若監管機構批准這種基因編輯小麥進行商業種植，它可能會從根本上重塑食品業處理烘焙食品中致癌風險的方式。
#13
Experts have cautioned, however, that further long-term studies are essential before any widespread adoption.
然而，專家們警告說，在任何廣泛採用之前，進一步的長期研究是必不可少的。
#14
Not only does this research represent a significant advance in crop science, but it also underscores the transformative potential of CRISPR technology in safeguarding public health.
這項研究不僅代表了作物科學的重大進展，也強調了 CRISPR 技術在維護公共健康方面的變革性潛力。