Scientists Developed a ‘Golden Lettuce’ That Has 30 Times More Vitamin A Than Traditional Lettuce

Move over, watercress. There’s a new, ridiculously vitamin-packed vegetable on the block. And it’s a rather pretty vegetable to boot. 

In August, a group of researchers from Spain’s Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) published its findings in Plant Journal, showcasing the use of a new method of “biofortification” of green leafy plant tissue, increasing “pro-vitamin A carotenoids” to help defend against micronutrient deficiency. 

“Micronutrient deficiency, also known as hidden hunger, is still a major problem in many countries. In particular, vitamin A deficiency causes xerophthalmia and can lead to other health problems and even death, affecting children from malnourished populations worldwide,” the authors wrote in their study. “The incorporation of micronutrients such as vitamin A or its carotenoid precursors as dietary supplements or as food ingredients (i.e., food supplementation or fortification, respectively) can be a solution, but these strategies remain unaffordable in many cases.” 

So, they came up with a solution: They found a new place to store all those vitamins. 

According to a press release by the researchers, they were able to store high levels of beta-carotene in “plastoglobules,” aka lipoprotein particles, aka particles made of protein and fat, inside tobacco plants and lettuce. It worked, the researchers added, as these lipoprotein particles do not “participate in photosynthesis and do not usually accumulate carotenoids.”

“Stimulating the formation and development of plastoglobules with molecular techniques and intense light treatments not only increases the accumulation of beta-carotene but also its bioaccessibility, i.e., the ease with which it can be extracted from the food matrix to be absorbed by our digestive system,’ Luca Morelli, the first author of the study, shared in the release.

And, as the study’s authors added, thanks to this technique and other “biotechnological approaches,” you can achieve a “30-fold increase in accessible beta-carotene levels compared to untreated leaves,” and that’s what also gives it that glorious golden hue, too.

And while the entire idea of biofortification and the science behind what these researchers just accomplished, the authors added in their statement that their work “represents a very significant advance for improving nutrition through biofortification of vegetables such as lettuce, chard or spinach,” importantly adding that they can do all this “without giving up their characteristic scent and flavor.”