Cotton: it’s what’s for dinner

Or, at least, it could be soon:

“The exciting finding is that we have been able to reduce gossypol – which is a very toxic compound – from cottonseed to a level that is considered safe for consumption,” said Dr. Keerti Rathore, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station plant biotechnologist. “In terms of human nutrition, it has a lot of potential.” The cottonseed from these plants meet World Health Organization and U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards for food consumption, he said, potentially making the seed a new, high-protein food available to 500 million people a year.

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2 comments

    • Edward Willett on November 20, 2006 at 5:41 pm
    • Reply

    Really? Why? It’s not like cottonseed is inherently disgusting. It’s just a seed. People eat pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Why wouldn’t they eat cottonseed if it was tasty and they were hungry?

    I certainly would.

    • Anonymous on November 20, 2006 at 5:32 pm
    • Reply

    We already have more food in the world than we can consume. Why would people want to eat cottonseed? The public will reject it.

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