Transcript Genetically Modified Foods Yummmmm

Genetically Modified Foods
Yummmmm
All Foods are products of genetic
modifications
History of GM foods
•From 6000 BC onwards, the Babylonians, Egyptians and Sumerians were all
using various methods of fermentation. Yeast was very common in making
beer and wines
• In 1724, cross fertilizing of corn was discovered.
•Born in 1823, Gregor Mendel was the very first person to trace the genetic
characteristics of living things.
•In 1962, James Watson and Francis Crick won the Nobel Prize for Medicine
for unravelling the mystery of the structure of DNA
•When scientists realised that all living things use the same genetic message
code, those being adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). The
characteristics of organisms could now be altered just by changing its DNA GM
foods came into existence
•In 1980, the US Supreme Court made a ruling that genetically altered life
forms would require patentings.
•1983 First GE plant - A tobacco plant engineered with a yeast gene
•1993 Field trials of GM crops were underway in 32 countries
•Examples of GM Food
Food that has already being modified, or are very likely to be genetically modified in the near
future include:
Apple
Canola
Grapevine
Lentil
Lettuce
Maize
Papaya
Pea
Pineapple
Potato
Soya Bean
Sugarcane
Tomato
Wheat
Genetically modified food and ingredients already on sale in Australia are:
Sugar Beet - Sugar, Glucose Canola - Edible seed products, Edible oil products
Soya Bean - Soy beverages, Tofu, Soy oil, Soy flour Potato - Potato flour, Potato starch
Corn/Maize - Corn oil, Corn meal, Corn starch (flour), Corn sugar or syrup
Crop Improvements
The basic benefits in the application of gene technology in the agricultural
industries and type of Improvement
Environmental benefits such as lower amounts of chemical pesticides, lower
levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Sustainability of the natural resource base,
Food security for a growing world population
Herbicide - tolerant plants, Bt - maize, rice with increased photosynthesis due
to presence of maize genes.
More exact, faster breeding methods.
Gene- transfer vectors and viruses, electropration, biolistics.
Improved nutrition.
Iron enriched rice, Vitamin- A containing rice.
Increased yields.
Boosted rice output with maize genes.
Genetically Modified Food online
News
From October 12 – 21st
2003
Reuters - British Government Seen Postponing GM Decision UK: October 21, 2003 LONDON Britain is likely to have to wait several years before it sees genetically modified crops being
grown commercially, if at all, because of the high political risk, analysts said Monday.
BBC News - The Co-op has announced that it is banning genetically modified food
and ingredients throughout its entire business.
New Scientist – The results of the world's largest ever trial of GM crops show that two out of the
three tested - oilseed and sugar beet - had a worse impact on farmland wildlife than conventional
crops.
Independent, UK – American biotech companies tried to lie to Europe in an attempt to force
genetically modified crops upon them, Margot Wallström, the European environment
commissioner, said yesterday.
Independent, UK – Study Reveals First Evidence that GM Superweeds Exist
The Process
See http://www.balwynhs.vic.edu.au/home/mendels/howto.html
The steps in genetically engineering/modifying an organism are:
1. Identifying the gene of interest and decoding or sequencing the gene to determine its DNA
structure.
2. Inserting the gene into single cells of the target organism.
3. Growing transformed cells into a complete organism.
What are the health advantages, disadvantages, of GMF?
Crops with defined health benefits will become available.
For example: "golden rice"--rice genetically modified to produce enhanced levels of vitamin A and rice
with elevated levels of bioavailable iron
Developing vaccines in plants is very attractive and appears to be quite feasible--for example, people may
be immunized against measles or other diseases by eating bananas.
Exposure of human populations to large amounts of novel proteins that have never previously been in the
human food chain could cause unpredictable problems. In particular, allergenicity could cause problems
that would be difficult to detect, as symptoms can take a long time to develop.