Algodón comestible
Cotton has been cultivated for its fiber for >7,000 years. Despite the availability of synthetic alternatives, it continues to serve as the most important source of fiber for textiles. Cotton is grown in >80 countries and is a cash crop for >20 million farmers in developing countries in Asia and Africa, where malnutrition and starvation are rampant. An attribute of cotton not widely recognized is that for every 1 kg of fiber, the plant produces 1.65 kg of seed. This makes cotton the third largest field crop in terms of edible oilseed tonnage in the world. In addition to 21% oil, cottonseed is a source of relatively high-quality protein (23%). However, the ability to use this nutrient-rich resource for food is hampered by the presence of toxic gossypol that is unique to the tribe Gossypieae. This cardio- and hepatotoxic terpenoid, present in the glands, renders cottonseed unsafe for human and monogastric animal consumption, Unfortunately, this toxicity subjugates this abundant agricultural resource to the ranks of a feed for ruminant animals either as whole seeds or as meal after oil extraction. In fact, the 44 million metric tons (MT) of cottonseed (9.4 million MT of available protein) produced each year could provide the total protein requirements of half a billion people for 1 year (50 g/day rate) if the seed were safe for human consumption. Thus, gossypol-free cottonseed would significantly contribute to human nutrition and health, particularly in developing countries , and would help meet the requirements of the predicted 50% increase in the world population in the next 50 years. Gossypol and related terpenoids are present throughout the cotton plant in the glands of foliage, floral organs, and bolls, as well as in the roots. In addition, these terpenoids are induced in response to microbial infections. These compounds protect the plant from both insects and pathogens. After the discovery of a glandless mutant, several breeding programs were launched in the U.S., Africa, and Asia to transfer the glandless trait into commercial varieties to produce gossypol-free cottonseed . These programs provided cottonseed that could be fed to monogastric animals that use feed more efficiently and was even deemed safe for human consumption . Cottonseed compared favorably as a source of protein to other traditional food sources in several human nutrition studies . However, these glandless cotton varieties were a commercial failure. Under field conditions, glandless plants were extraordinarily susceptible to attack by a host of insect pests, because they constitutively lacked protective terpenoids and were, therefore, rejected by farmers. Thus, the potential of cottonseed in contributing to human nutrition remains unfulfilled.