Biosafety baseline for African Biofortified sorghum (abs188 and abs203) through feeding bioassay Maishanu Sumayya Hamza1*, Umar Yahaya Abdullahi2, Abdulsalami Mohammed Sani Dr.3, Ibrahim Abdulrazak Baba Dr.4, Chechet Gloria Dr.5, Ahmad Abdurrahman Elfulaty Dr.6 1Student, Department of Biological Sciences, Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna, Nigeria 2Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna, Nigeria 3Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna, Nigeria 4Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria 5Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria 6Lecturer, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Ahmadu Bello, Zaria, Nigeria * Corresponding Author: thauratmaishanu@yahoo.co.uk
Online published on 4 January, 2021. Abstract A number of biofortified crops have been generated through transgenic technologies including sorghum. A key step towards the release of genetically modified (GM) biofortified sorghum is its nutritional evaluation and risk assessment study. In this work, two genetically modified sorghum ABS188 and ABS203 were administered on mice to evaluate the effect of their consumption on liver and spleen. Following the molecular analysis of the two GM sorghum, the transgenes Zeamays Phytoene synthase gene (Zm-PSY1) and Pantoea ananatis Carotenoid Biosynthesis gene (PaCrT1) were confirmed in ABS 188 and ABS 203. There was a loss in weight of mice fed with ABS 188 and ABS 203 while weight gain was recorded in mice fed with local sorghum. In conclusion ABS 188 and ABS 203 are considered to be as safe and nutritious as local sorghum, with the advantage that the GM sorghum are biofortified with Vitamin A, Zinc and Iron. Top Keywords Genetically Modified Sorghum, Biofortification, Nutrition and Transgene. Top |