Gm Foods By Sai Sukumar

•Genetic engineering, genetic modification (GM) and gene splicing are terms for the process of manipulating genes, generally implying that the process is outside the organism's natural reproductive process. •It involves the isolation, manipulation and reintroduction of DNA into cells or model organisms, usually to express a protein. •The aim is to introduce new characteristics or attributes physiologically or physically, such as making a crop resistant to herbicide, introducing a novel trait, or producing a new protein or enzyme, along with altering the organism to produce more of certain traits. •Examples- production of human insulin through the use of

•Genetically Modified (GM) foods are produced from genetically modified organisms (GMO) which have had their genome altered through genetic engineering techniques. •The general principle of producing a GMO is to insert DNA that has been taken from another organism and modified in the laboratory into an organism's genome to produce both new and useful traits or phenotypes. •GM Foods have been available since the 1990s, with the principal ones being derived from plants; soybean, maize, canola and cotton seed oil.

• Increase in production • Increase in resistance for plants • Removal of undesirable traits • Addition of desirable traits

•The first commercially grown genetically modified food crop was the FlavrSavr tomato which was made more resistant to rotting by Californian company Calgene, which was welcomed by consumers who purchased the fruit at two to five times the price of standard tomatoes. •A variant of the Flavr Savr was used by Zeneca to produce tomato paste which was sold in Europe during the summer of 1996. • Its labelling and pricing were designed as a marketing experiment which proved that, at the time, European consumers would accept genetically engineered foods •The next GM crops included insect-protected cotton and herbicidetolerant soybeans both of which were commercially released in 1996 in US and have also been extensively planted in several other countries

•sweet potato resistant to a the feathery mottle virus •further development of golden rice to increase bioavailability of iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E and improve the quality of proteins •maize with increased levels of the amino acid lysine and protein for animal feeds •a variety of plants able to better tolerate non-biological stresses which are commonly encountered in a normal growing season, such as water] and nitrogen limitation, or survive extreme growing conditions, such as highsalinity, drought,[ acidic soils, or hot weather. •Transgenic rice has been developed by a Californian company to improve oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea. Specialized milk proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme made in transgenic rice plants improve the effectiveness of oral rehydration solution used to treat diarrhea.

•Between 1996 and 2005, the total surface area of land cultivated with GMOs had increased by a factor of 50, from 17,000 km² (4.2 million acres) to 900,000 km² (222 million acres), of which 55% were in the United States. •It is predicted that in 2006/7 32,000 km² of GM cotton will be harvested in India (up more than 100% from the previous season). •Four countries represent 99% of total GM surface in 2001: United States (68%), Argentina (22%), Canada (6%) and China (3%). •It is estimated that 70% of products on U.S. grocery shelves include GMderived ingredients. •Bt corn produces the pesticide within the plant itself, as are soybeans genetically designed to tolerate glyphosate herbicides. •In the US, by 2006 89% of the planted area of soybeans, 83% of cotton, and 61% maize was genetically modified varieties. •Maize and cotton carried both herbicide tolerance and insect protection traits (the latter largely the Bacillus thuringiensus Bt insecticidal protein).

Future envisaged applications of GM foods are •include drugs in food •bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B •metabolically engineered fish that mature more quickly •fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier •plants that produce new plastics with unique properties.

•Prior to marketing a new GM food product, manufacturers are required to submit documentation to the FDA to demonstrate its safety and then await approval before selling it to consumers •The context for assessing safety of novel foods is the fact that existing foods often contain toxic components but are still able to be consumed safely( potatoes and tomatoes can contain toxic levels of solanine and alpha-tomatine alkaloids respectively-concept of "Substantial Equivalence".) •One concern voiced is that a novel crop may have unintended changes created during the insertion of new genetic material. •On the other hand, plant scientists, backed by results of modern comprehensive profiling of crop composition, point out that crops modified using GM techniques are less likely to have unintended changes than are conventionally bred crops.

•Mycotoxins are chemicals made by molds that are detrimental to human health. Many different mycotoxins are produced by various fungi such as Aspergillus or Fusarium species that grow on plants. • They cause severe human birth defects when pregnant women ingest food such as tortillas made from moldy maize and cancer in adults •GM maize can have lower mycotoxin levels due to reduced insect damage to the crop. •The reduction of mycotoxins provided by Bt corn has been estimated to provide the United States alone a total benefit of $23 million annually. •GM crops have shown to contribute to significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural practices. •This reduction results from decreased fuel use and additional soil carbon sequestration because of reduced ploughing associated with biotech crops. •GM cotton has greatly reduced synthetic pesticide use in the US,

•Many opponents of current genetic engineering believe the increasing use of GM in major crops has caused a power shift in agriculture towards Biotechnology companies, which are gaining excessive control over the production chain of crops and food, and over the farmers that use their products, as well. •Many proponents of current genetic engineering techniques believe it will lower pesticide usage and has brought higher yields and profitability to many farmers, including those in developing nations. A few genetic engineering licenses allow farmers in less economically developed countries to save seeds for next year's planting. •In August 2002, Zambia cut off the flow of Genetically Modified Food (mostly maize) from UN's World Food Programme. •In April 2004 Hugo Chávez announced a total ban on genetically modified seeds in Venezuela. •In January 2005, the Hungarian government announced a ban on importing and planting of genetic modified maize seeds.