Fruit and Vegetables Chicory

A few years ago, applications were submitted to the EU for the approval of a GM cultivar of chicory. Since then, plans to commercialise GM chicory have been abandoned. Meanwhile, interest in chicory has shifted to a new prospect.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum) is popular in some regions as a salad green, especially in France and Belgium. It is closely related to red hearted chicory (radicchio).

Chicory seeds are sown in spring. During autumn, the roots are harvested and stored in complete darkness. After a period of time, the roots produce shoots. Leaves that grow in darkness do not produce clorophyll, remaining mostly white with yellow at the tips. Leaves lacking chlorophyll are much less bitter than green leaves.

Chicory. Shoots are no longer harvested in the field. Instead, they are raised from harvested, bareroots. Chicory shoots are grown in total darkness.

The Netherlands are the most important exporter of chicory. There, scientists developed a genetically modified line of chicory containing a gene that makes it male sterile, simply facilitating the production of hybrid cultivars. Hybrids are generally larger and more vigorous than other varieties. The GM cultivar also contained an herbicide resistance marker gene that would get passed on to half of the resulting hybrid offspring. In 1996, an approval application from the Dutch breeding company was accepted. The approval, however, only covered seed production, not the use of the chicory in food. Although an application for the approval of the GM chicory as food had been submitted, it was later withdrawn. Efforts to introduce this GM chicory to the market have been discontinued.

However, plant breeders and researchers haven't stopped working with chicory. A unique fibre called inulin is synthesised in its shoots. This compound has recently been gaining attention as a source of fibre for health foods and functional foods. Inulin and its metabolic products improve intestinal flora and strengthen the immune system. Chicory is currently the primary source for inulin, but when temperatures are cool, the inulin found in chicory shoots starts breaking down. A gene derived from the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is expected to stabilise inulin content in chicory shoots.

The first field tests of genetically modified inulin chicory were conducted in the Netherlands in 2004. Today there is no genetically modified chicory on the market.

See also on GMO-Compass:

• Food products: Genetic engineering and labelling