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British scientists have taken up the task of editing potato genes to reduce its cooking time to a few minutes. This decision was dictated by a drop in demand for the product in the UK due to long cooking times. A project called "super-spud" will make potatoes as quick to cook as pasta or rice. This is reported by vokrugsveta.ru.
Genetic modification is aimed at changing that part of the DNA that is responsible for the rate of softening of vegetable cells. The result should be an “ideal” potato: one that retains its presentation and freshness for a long time, is resistant to diseases and pests, and at the same time cooks quickly.
The first gene-edited (but not modified!) potatoes will become available to commercial enterprises, for example, chip manufacturers, and then go on general sale.