Fish 'antifreeze' harvest

Some fruits could be viable in colder climates

By the BBC's Julian Siddle

Scientists in the United States have produced a new type of 'antifreeze' which they say could protect crops from frost.

The product is a synthetic version of a substance produced naturally by fish that live in polar waters.

We think this is incredibly promising for a number of applications

Dr Robert Ben

The teleost fish, which is found in the Arctic and Antarctic, makes a natural chemical called a glycoprotein that prevents its blood from freezing.

The University of New York team says a copy of the chemical could be used to spray crops to protect them from frost.

It might also allow new crops such as soft fruit to be grown in cold countries.

Medical uses

The researchers say the new antifreeze will not only be of use to agriculture, but could also help preserve tissues damaged by freezing.

Water in tissue turns into ice crystals, which can puncture delicate blood vessels.

For medicine this could mean that organs such as hearts or kidneys intended for transplant could be frozen and kept for long periods of time.

At present, organs need to be taken and transplanted within the space of a few hours, before the tissue start to decompose.

Dr Robert Ben, who led the research, said: "This is very significant and may mean a real leap forward in the design of such compounds. We think this is incredibly promising for a number of applications."

The work was reported in the journal Bioconjugate Chemistry.