Cotton has been used for fiber over the past 7,000 years. Presently, it accounts for nearly 40 percent of all clothing fiber used worldwide. The cotton industry is a vast enterprise network across the globe. Farm production of it alone involves more than 20 million farmers in some 80 countries. If the plant has been useful to protect bodies of people, it can also be used to feed them.

‘Cottonseeds are a rich source of protein–the current cotton crop produces enough seeds to meet the daily requirements of half a billion people a year. But the seeds can be consumed only after an extensive refining process that removes the gossypol, a toxic chemical that helps protect the plant from insect and microbe infestation.’

Once the gossypol is removed, cotton can become a ‘cheap and abundant form of protein for everyone.’ However, removing the entire gossypol renders the plant vulnerable to insect and microbe infestation.

Keerti Rathore, a professor at Texas A&M University, has found a way to solve the problem via genetic engineering. ‘In new field-trial data, Rathore’s team demonstrated that it can turn off the genes that stimulate the production of gossypol in the cottonseeds while the rest of the plant keeps its natural defenses.’

However, only government approval can commercialize genetically modified cottonseeds. With the abundance of such free protein, it will surely not take very long before cottonseeds are used to address world hunger and malnutrition.

Via TIME