A soothing cup of rice? Chinese scientists create grain with health benefits of tea
In a study, the team engineered ‘tea rice’ that has been fortified with the antioxidant compounds in green tea – without the caffeine Chinese scientists have engineered the first “tea rice” enriched with the antioxidant compounds that make green tea a health-boosting drink. The rice has been fortified with the micronutrient catechin, and the researchers behind it say it can provide the health benefits of tea without any side effects from caffeine. “Catechins, as key antioxidant components in tea plants with high content, offer certain benefits to human health,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed Plant Biotechnology Journal in March. 2-metre ‘giant rice’ twice as tall as other varieties nearly ready for first harvest in China Catechin flavonoids are a type of polyphenol – micronutrients that occur naturally in plants – shown to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and cardioprotective properties. Catechins are thought to pl...