Biosafety baseline for African Biofortified sorghum (abs188 and abs203) through feeding bioassay

A number of biofortified crops have been generated through transgenic technologies including sorghum. A key step towards the release of genetically modified (GM) biofortified sorghum is its nutritional evaluation and risk assessment study. In this work, two genetically modified sorghum ABS188 and ABS203 were administered on mice to evaluate the effect of their consumption on liver and spleen. Following the molecular analysis of the two GM sorghum, the transgenes Zeamays Phytoene synthase gene (Zm-PSY1) and Pantoea ananatis Carotenoid Biosynthesis gene (PaCrT1) were confirmed in ABS 188 and ABS 203. There was a loss in weight of mice fed with ABS 188 and ABS 203 while weight gain was recorded in mice fed with local sorghum. In conclusion ABS 188 and ABS 203 are considered to be as safe and nutritious as local sorghum, with the advantage that the GM sorghum are biofortified with Vitamin A, Zinc and Iron.