OSAKA, JAPAN, JANUARY 24, 2002: Scientist in Japan say they have successfully implanted vegetable genes in a living animal for the first time. Researchers at Kinki University, near Osaka, inserted genetic material from spinach into a pig, which they say will produce healthier pork. The experiment has yielded 2 generations of pigs with the spinach gene known as FAD2. Research team leader, Akira Iritani, said the pigs with the spinach gene had produced less fat then normal. The experiment involved inserting the spinach gene into a fertilized pig egg, which was then implanted in a female pig’s womb to produce genetically modified piglets. The FAD2 gene was found to convert about a fifth of the piglet’s saturated fatty acids into healthier linoleic acids. Professor Iritani said he hoped to prove the genetically modified pork was safe to eat, though the article doesn’t mention who he is going to test it on.
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