New York, May. 21 (PTI): A controversial modified rice - which will have protein often found in breast milk - has got clearance of American regulators.

This is among the first food crops containing genes that produce human protein to gain approval of the United States Department of Agriculture, Nature has reported.

But many other pharmaceutical genetically-modified crops are already grown indoors or in inedible plants such as tobacco. The rice strains, made by Ventria Bioscience in Sacramento, California, produce lysozyme, lactoferrin and human serum albumin, commonly found in breast milk, in their seeds, it said.

Lysozyme and lactoferrin are proteins with anti-bacterial, viral and fungal properties, the report said.

Ventria says they aim to use the rice to create drinks that can combat diarrhoea, and dietary supplements to help reverse anaemia. diarrhoea, which often stems from gastro- intestinal infection, is a major killer of children worldwide.

Many further regulatory hurdles involving other agencies would need to be passed before products made from this rice could be sold to consumers, Nature said.

The crop, which has been tested in Peru, was given preliminary approval in March, and the USDA then opened the proposal up for public comment, it said, adding of the more than 20,000 comments they received, only 29 were positive.