Genetically Modified Food

Genetically Modifed (GM) foods - GM Foods are foods that are produced with desirable traits by artificially introducing new gene to the DNA code of the original by a method called “genetic engineering.” Genetic modification, therefore, changes the characteristic of the organism which in this case is our “Food.”

2 ways in which Genetically Modified Foods can help feed rapidly growing population 

• 1. GMO can be used to make harvesting of food easier and food more available 
• Insecticide tomato 

• GMO can be used to improve nutritional value of food products
•  Golden Rice with Richer Vitamin A 

Production of Insecticide GM Crops - Tomato Plant 

Scientific Process involved in creating insecticide tomato plant 

• First, scientists find the gene of their interest. In this case, an insect resistance gene “cry1Ac”

• Second, they cut out the gene using an enzyme called “restriction enzyme.”

• Restriction enzyme is sensitive to the DNA coding, therefore it only cuts at specific location. 

• The restriction enzyme is used again to cut out part of the plasmid (transfer vector) so that the selected gene could fit into the plasmid 

• DNA ligase connects the gene with the plasmid. 

• This plasmid is copied in bacteria or the gene itself could be copied directly by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

• Using a “gene gun” or “gene canon,” insert the vector containing the gene directly into the plant cell  

How does insecticide plants make harvesting easier, cheaper and more productive

“Food crops have to constantly compete with 30,000 species of weeds, 3,000 species of nematodes and 10,000 species of plant-eating insects in addition to countless diseases” (Croplife) 

Although farmers are trying their best to fight insects by using better pesticides every year, around 20-40% of their crops gets lost. Without pesticides, it is estimated that the harvest could fall by another 40% around the world. However, genetically modified crops can overcome the difficulties of fighting insects. The gene itself contains poisonous substance which is lethal when up-taken by insects. Therefore, by producing GM crops, the world can save and produce the 20-40% of crops that are being wasted because of the insects, despite the use of modern pesticides. Furthermore, farmers would not have to use additional resources to spray pesticides. Thus, overall, insecticide plants should be helpful in producing more crops in cheaper and easier way, making the price of crops able to drop as well.  

Is there a controversy?

Yes there are many disagreements to whether GM foods are beneficial in every sense. The most common reason for government’s banning and restricting production of GM Food is for safety issues of consumption of GM crops. As the discovery of presence of DNA has only 50 years history and the technology of genetic engineering is even shorter, many scientists argue that safety of GM products is not yet proven. It could have potential harm to human health in long term. Another famous argument is that pests and weeds might develop a resistance gene which would make GM crops ineffective. Alternately, if pests and weeds could not survive due to lack of food resources, it will lead to loss of biodiversity. Thus, overall, it is being argued that GM crops have potential harmful effects on both human and our environment. 

Production of Nutrient-Rich GM Crop - Golden Rice (Rich in Vitamin A)

Science behind production of golden rice 

• The gene for production of beta-carotene (source of Vitamin A) comes from daffodil and a bacterium, “Erwinla uredovora”

• The gene is cut using restriction enzyme 

• The genes are inserted into plasmid accordingly to their promoter and terminator codings. 

• The transfer vector is put into agrobacteria 

• Unlike producing insecticide tomato, the bacteria is put into petri dish which contains rice embryo.

• Agrobacteria affect the growth of rice embryo by transferring the gene that produces beta-carotene.

How does golden rice help enhance nutritional value?

“Vitamin A deficiency afflicts over 200 million children. 60 children go blind every hour. 2 million children under 5 years die each year” (Ucbiotech).

It is a fact that Beta-carotene is the only method people gain access to Vitamin A and large proportion of population in poorer region is suffering from lack of Vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is known to cause serious health problems such as, blindness, night blindness, retarded development   and even death. It is estimated that over 500,000 children in under-developed nations develop blindness. As golden rice contains beta-carotene in itself, it will help them directly from the deficiency just by consuming rice. Other than containing beta- carotene, golden rice also has other benefits by itself. Golden rice if known to reduce gastrointestinal distress, which assists in easier digestion. Also, because golden rice has low fat and sodium content, it can benefit people by lowering their blood pressure and blood cholesterol level. 

Controversy?

Again, scientists who disagree with production of golden rice fears potential harm to human health in long term, and also they fear it might cross-breed with wild rice and alter the nature. Most importantly, as the picture depicts, opposing scientists argue that beta-carotene level in golden rice is not enough to make difference to the Vitamin A deficiency, which is the only reason for production of golden rice.