BEIJING, Feb. 16 -- Chinese scientists have used gene editing to develop a novel strain of rice that can produce coenzyme CoQ10, offering consumers heart-healthy nutrients.

CoQ10 is an antioxidant that our bodies naturally produce, and it is essential for overall health, especially heart health. As people age, the body's ability to produce this fat-soluble antioxidant diminishes, which means that adding extra supplements to the diet can be beneficial.

However, cereal food crops like rice, as well as certain vegetables and fruits, primarily synthesize CoQ9.

After conducting an evolutionary analysis of natural variations in Coq1 enzymes across more than 1,000 terrestrial plant species and applying machine learning techniques, the researc...