HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Faculty Investigator Josh Clevenger is expanding his work to create aflatoxin-resistant peanuts through a research project sponsored by Mars Wrigley, maker of treats and snacks. The goal of the collaborative project is to make safer peanut harvests.
Working on the project with Clevenger is Peggy Ozias-Akins, a research professor at the University of Georgia.
Peanuts thrive in warm climates and contribute significantly to a balanced diet as they are rich in protein, healthy fats, fiber and essential vitamins. They also are a crucial cash crop for farmers.
However, the crop has a few foes, including aflatoxins, toxins that are produced under certain conditions by aspergillus fungi that thrive in warm, humid conditions — the same conditions peanuts love, according to HudsonAlpha. The aflatoxins can contaminate peanut crops both in the field and during storage. While aflatoxin can be mitigated through quality control, contamination can devastate consumers’ health, potentially causing liver damage, stunted growth in children and increasing the risk of cancer. Contaminated crops often need to be discarded, leading to significant economic losses, as well.
Clevenger and his team aim to tackle aflatoxins by creating peanut varieties with built-in protection from aflatoxins. At the genetic level, the scientists will study other crop systems and their defenses to aflatoxins, and then try to transform the peanut plants.
“By enhancing the expression of key genes from the pathways, we hope to provide protection against aflatoxin biosynthesis in pre- and post-harvest,” said Sueme Ueno, the newest member of the Clevenger lab and the team lead for the project.
Ueno is currently creating and optimizing peanut transformation protocols at HudsonAlpha, where he is collaborating with Faculty Investigator Kankshita Swaminathan and her lab that is researching plant transformation in large grasses.
Successfully transformed lines will be tested for antioxidant accumulation and challenged with Aspergillus to see if they are protected against aflatoxins. Once a stable line with protection has been created and is ready for launch, it will be available to growers for testing.
“I am most excited to be a part of this project because of its wide-ranging impact,” said Ueno. “Our goal is to deliver safer food across the globe.”
In addition, the researchers hope to mitigate aflatoxin by addressing an often-linked issue: drought. In times of drought, peanuts become stressed, leading to exacerbated aflatoxin production. Increasing drought tolerance in peanuts could mitigate aflatoxin production and contamination.
