Certain vegetables and fruits contain plant pigments called carotenoids that are metabolized in the body to produce Vitamin A. Lack of Vitamin A causes an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children worldwide to become blind every year. An approach to reducing blindness and other childhood health problems resulting from this deficiency is to use genetic engineering of rice—a food staple in developing countries and economically disadvantaged regions of the world—so that rice becomes a dietary source of Vitamin A. For example, a strain known as Golden Rice has been genetically engineered so that it can produce and store carotenoids such as p-carotene (which helps give carrots and squash their yellow-orange color). One type of Golden Rice contains approximately 30 micrograms of carotenoids (81% p-carotene, 16% a-carotene, and 3% P-cryptoxanthin) per gram of uncooked rice. A study has reported that when a person eats Golden Rice, their body metabolizes 1 microgram of Vitamin A for every 3.8 micrograms of p-carotene they consume.
- It is recommended that children between 1 and 3 years of age should get 300 micrograms of Vitamin A per day. Considering only the metabolism of p-carotene given above, how many grams of Golden Rice would a child have to eat in order to obtain this much Vitamin A? Does this seem like a reasonable amount of rice to eat in one day, if one cup of cooked rice is approximately 175 g?
- a-carotene and p-cryptoxanthin can also be converted into Vitamin A, but when compared to P-carotene, it takes twice as much of each of these compounds to produce one unit of Vitamin A. Considering all of the carotenoids in Golden Rice as potential sources of Vitamin A, how' many grams of Golden Rice would a three-year-old child have to eat in order to obtain the recommended daily amount of Vitamin A? Exploratory Exercises—Research and Discover
Trending nowThis is a popular solution!
Chapter 4 Solutions
Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, Binder Ready Version
Additional Engineering Textbook Solutions
Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering (5th Edition) (Prentice Hall International Series in the Physical and Chemical Engineering Sciences)
Process Dynamics and Control, 4e
Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Data Structures (4th Edition) (What's New in Computer Science)
C Programming Language
Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics (7th Edition)
Mechanics of Materials
- Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynami...Chemical EngineeringISBN:9781259696527Author:J.M. Smith Termodinamica en ingenieria quimica, Hendrick C Van Ness, Michael Abbott, Mark SwihartPublisher:McGraw-Hill EducationElementary Principles of Chemical Processes, Bind...Chemical EngineeringISBN:9781118431221Author:Richard M. Felder, Ronald W. Rousseau, Lisa G. BullardPublisher:WILEYElements of Chemical Reaction Engineering (5th Ed...Chemical EngineeringISBN:9780133887518Author:H. Scott FoglerPublisher:Prentice Hall
- Industrial Plastics: Theory and ApplicationsChemical EngineeringISBN:9781285061238Author:Lokensgard, ErikPublisher:Delmar Cengage LearningUnit Operations of Chemical EngineeringChemical EngineeringISBN:9780072848236Author:Warren McCabe, Julian C. Smith, Peter HarriottPublisher:McGraw-Hill Companies, The