Scientists develop gene-edited wheat that can make toasted bread less carcinogenic科学家研发出基因编辑小麦，可降低烤面包的致癌风险
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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员开发出了一种基因编辑小麦，这种小麦制作出的面包中，丙烯酰胺（一种可能的致癌物）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.
这项通过 CRISPR 基因编辑技术实现的突破，可能对全球烘焙业的食品安全产生深远影响。
#3
Wheat naturally contains free asparagine, an amino acid the plant utilises for nitrogen storage.
小麦天然含有游离天门冬酰胺，这是一种植物用来储存氮的氨基酸。
#4
When bread is baked, fried, or toasted, this compound undergoes a chemical transformation into acrylamide, which scientists have classified as a probable carcinogen.
当面包经过烘烤、油炸或烤制时，这种化合物会发生化学转化，变成丙烯酰胺，科学家已将其归类为可能的致癌物。
#5
It is precisely this biochemical pathway that the CRISPR editing technique was designed to disrupt.
正是这条生化路径，被设计为 CRISPR 基因编辑技术所要阻断的目标。
#6
Two years of field trials have demonstrated that CRISPR-edited wheat can achieve significantly lower concentrations of free asparagine without compromising crop yields.
两年的田间试验已证明，经 CRISPR 基因编辑的小麦可以在不损害农作物产量的情况下，显著降低游离天门冬酰胺的浓度。
#7
Targeted edits to the gene responsible for asparagine production reduced the amino acid in grain by fifty-nine percent.
针对负责天门冬酰胺生成的基因进行的靶向编辑，使谷物中的该氨基酸减少了百分之五十九。
#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，由这种基因编辑小麦制成的面包和饼干显示出的丙烯酰胺含量极低，以至于某些样本在烘烤后低于可检测的极限。
#9
The scientists compared CRISPR-edited wheat lines with conventionally modified varieties whose genetic material had been altered through chemical mutagenesis.
科学家们将 CRISPR 基因编辑的小麦品系与遗传物质经由化学诱变改变过的传统改良品种进行了比较。
#10
Unlike the latter approach, which induces random mutations throughout the genome, CRISPR enables researchers to target specific genes with surgical precision.
不同于后者诱导整个基因组随机突变的方法，CRISPR 使研究人员能够以手术般的精确度锁定特定基因。
#11
Had this technology not been adapted from naturally occurring editing systems found in bacteria, such targeted modifications would remain beyond our reach.
若非这项技术是改编自细菌中天然存在的编辑系统，这类精准的目标修饰将依然是我们力所不及的。
#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.
若监管机构批准这种基因编辑小麦进行商业种植，它可能会从根本上重塑食品业处理烘焙食品中致癌风险的方式。
#13
Experts have cautioned, however, that further long-term studies are essential before any widespread adoption.
然而，专家们警告说，在任何广泛采用之前，进一步的长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.
这项研究不仅代表了作物科学的重大进展，也强调了 CRISPR 技术在维护公共健康方面的变革性潜力。