Scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom have successfully "hacked" photosynthesis with an enzyme, thereby increasing the rates at which food is produced.

This could be a solution to feeding most of the world's population.

Maureen Hanson, a plant geneticist at Cornell University in the U.S., said the discovery was definitely an "Eureka!" moment as it points to the possibility of feeding more hungry people in the world.

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Photosynthesis is the process by which green and leafy plants convert sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO2), and water into sugar.

The production of sugar has been increased by using an enzyme from blue-green algae.

For years, scientists have been looking for ways to improve photosynthesis. They focused their attention on an enzyme called Rubisco.

Rubisco is actually the protein -- one of the Earth's most abundant proteins -- that converts CO2 into sugar. It lacks efficiency in its conversions, however. It account for almost half of all the soluble protein found in leaves.

A writer for Nature, Heidi Ledford, once wrote the enhancement of Rubisco and boosting the amount of CO2 around it could potentially generate up to 60 percent more yields in crops such as rice and wheat.

In order to do this, researchers took Rubisco from a cyanobacterium called Synechococcus elongatus. They then engineered it into the chloroplast of a tobacco plant.

The combination allowed for a faster conversion rate of CO2 into sugar than normal tobacco.

The factor that clinched their experiments is the fact they added two more extra bacterial proteins to the crops, with one helping Rubisco fold properly while the other helps Rubisco's structural support.

While there are still many hurdles for their genetically engineered, food-creating plant, the team is currently experimenting and finding ways to overcome them.

TagsMaureen Hanson, Photosynthesis, hack, Rubisco