Safety evaluation of BPL9K-4 rice in a subchronic rodent feeding study

In the present study, a new genetically modified rice producing phytase-lactoferricin fusion protein, BPL9K-4, was evaluated for safety in a 90-day rat feeding study. Rats were fed rodent diets formulated with BPL9K-4 rice, and were compared with rats fed diets formulated with its corresponding non-transgenic parental rice 9 K, commercially available non-transgenic rice Weiyou64, and a basal diet. BPL9K-4 and 9 K rice were formulated into diets at concentrations of 15%, 30% and 60%, and Weiyou64 common rice was added to diets at concentration of 60%. AIN93G diet was set as a basal-diet control. Diets of all groups were fed to rats (10/sex/group) for 90 days. Compared with rats in the 9 K, Weiyou64 and the basal-diet group, rats fed the BPL9K-4 diet did not show any treatment-related adverse effects on mortality, body weights, feed consumption, clinical chemistry, hematology, organ weights and gross and microscopic pathology. Under the conditions of this study, the genetically modified BPL9K-4 diets did not cause any toxicologically significant effects in rats following 90 days of dietary administration as compared with rats fed diets with the corresponding non-transgenic control diet and the basal-diet group. The results indicated that BPL9K-4 rice is as safe as its conventional comparators.