A research group from the Research Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), has developed an innovative method for the biofortification of leaves and other green plant tissues, increasing their content of healthy substances such as beta-carotene, the main precursor

of vitamin A in the human diet. The work demonstrates that by using biotechnological techniques and treatments with high light intensity, the levels of beta-carotene in leaves can be multiplied up to 30 times by creating new places to store it without affecting vital processes such as photosynthesis. The results are published in the Plant Journal.

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