Tag: research

THE ADVANCE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD IS INCREASING

THE ADVANCE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD IS INCREASING

Alarms about a global food crisis are growing by the day. In a context of wars, especially Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, coupled with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the expectation of an economic recession, many countries have been forced to review their policies on GM foods.

According to UN estimates, 1.7 billion people in 100 countries will be affected by Ukraine’s dwindling grain supply this year, as the country is considered the “breadbasket” of Europe. However, this goes beyond the old continent as, post-pandemic, the number of food insecure people has risen to 276 million.

This, coupled with impending climate change that also puts crops at risk, has put GM foods at the centre of the conversation. These, also known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), can be an alternative to secure food amidst adverse conditions.

 

What are GM foods and why are they controversial?

GM foods are foods whose genetic material has been deliberately altered, and which are not one that is likely to be produced naturally through breeding or selection. These modifications are usually obtained by introducing genetic material from one species into the genome of another xnxx.

There are different foods that have been modified, one of the best known of which is Bt maize. To achieve this, the gene of a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, is introduced, with the aim of making it resistant to certain types of pests, and therefore, it lasts longer. This maize is marketed in the United States.

What are GM foods and why are they controversial?

The controversy surrounding GM foods lies in their environmental impact. Once genetically modified seeds are used on a field, they cannot be used again without modification. And it is possible that, if these areas are not controlled, the planting of GM food will cause soil disturbance.

As most GM foods are intended to withstand heavy herbicide use, their use can have undesirable effects. For example, new “superweeds,” which are extremely resistant to herbicides, have been found in the United States and have impacted millions of acres in 22 states.

On the other hand, there are concerns that such foods may increase allergies or the risk of cancer or other diseases. On this issue, it can be said that research has been inconclusive, while voices within biotechnology defend its effectiveness in helping crops grow faster and even safer.

 

Why might the EU change its position on GM food?

In several countries the use of GMO foods is widespread, such as in the US, Brazil, Canada and India. Others are also beginning to lift regulations, such as Kenya and Colombia. However, the European Union is very wary of GM foods and their use is regulated by the European Regulation 1829/2003 on genetically modified foods.

In most EU member states, GM crops are banned, but pro-biotech voices claim that these bans are made for non-scientific reasons or under dubious research. Even so, the EU’s stance on GM crops is taking a turn.

In March, the EU approved the use of GM soy, rapeseed and cotton crops for the food and feed sectors, prompted by uncertainty over the invasion of Ukraine. Another country that could also change its position is the United Kingdom, especially after its independence following Brexit.

Although this position on GMOs is “transitional,” and only for grain exports in the context of the war, it may be the first step towards greater tolerance of this technology. After all, the climate crisis could also pose an obstacle to food security.

 

 

RELATED POST

 

The Future of Medicine: CRISPR Technology vs HIV Virus

HIV virus has been a global problem for decades now, and even though scientists did make progress in battling this illness, these is no definite solution (so far). So it is surprising that the answer might lay in CRISPR technology, primarily developed for genetically modifying crops and plants. CRISPR gene editing method allows scientists to identify and locate the DNA sequence they want to modify and basically improve it by a copy/paste method. So the end result is an edited organism that does not contain any outside DNA.

CRISPR vs HIV

A team of scientists working at the Temple University located in Philadelphia decided to take a closer look at CRISPR/Cas 9 technology and find the way to use it in order to remove HIV-1 genome from human CD4+T cells. These cells are in charge of immune system. Their attempt was successful and HIV-1 genome disappeared completely from the infected cells. This finding might be a watershed moment in our history because HIV-1 is the main source of HIV infections.

Further analysis of the few treated individuals revealed that HIV-1 replication has slowed down and that their general health has improved. These astonishing results are a proof that immune system can repair itself and that CD4+T cells will not be damaged by this brand new treatment. As a matter of fact, the small number of patients who were involved in this study showed a huge progress in a very short period of time.

As we have previously mentioned, the host genome was not affected in any way after this treatment. Their DNA remained unchanged after the successful removal of HIV-1 from the immune cells. There are even indications that the treated cells are almost immune to a new HIV-1 infection, but this claim has to be explored furthermore. However, one thing is certain – the viral load of the treated patients decreased significantly. The research team from Temple University still have plenty of work ahead of them for sure.

The cure for HIV-1?

This trial was not large and it included only a handful of individuals that are infected with HIV-1 virus. It is certainly a huge step forward because this finding might lead us straight to the cure. Various drug therapies are available for the infected patients and they allow them to live a normal life for years to come. However, the virus is still present in their system and it might affect them in the long run if they are not careful. Any step away from the prescribed therapy might bring the virus back to the surface. So yes, once the virus gets into human system, there is no going back.

What makes CRISPR/Cas 9 technology so important is the fact that it can be used to target specific areas of a cell, and modify the parts that need repair. The fact that the technology developed for genetically modifying crops can be used to save thousands and thousands of lives and it might be the solution we have all been waiting for decades is very exciting. Temple University will continue their research and we are all excited to see the results.

The Longest GMO Research: The Results Are In

The results of the longest GMO research have been released to the public last week and the findings are astonishing. The general public were left in the dark for years regarding the GMO crops and their influence on the economy of a country. A team of economists led by Francesco Ciliberti from The University of Virginia started collecting the data in 1998 and started analyzing it after fourteen years. They focused on the use of pesticides among farmers who are cultivating soy beans and maize, and looked at it from the economic aspect. The released findings mostly focus on the use of pesticides that include herbicides and insecticides and the final results are quite interesting.

The team and the research

Francesco Ciliberti managed to assemble a team of respectable economists who do have years of experience with data analysis. The majority of the team members come from respectable universities from all around the United States. They started their research back in 1998, selecting 10,000 US farmers who were growing soy beans and maize.

Have in mind that every past research that touched upon this topic usually covered only two or three years, so this study is definitely the largest (so far). Soy beans and maize are the most commonly cultivated crops in the world so it comes as no surprise that they decided to focus on the farmers who were growing those plants. The team selected the candidates and followed their journey from planting the first crop in 1998, to making a decision to grow GMO crops, and everything that followed, including the usage of pesticides and insecticides during each year.

GMO soy beans are modified in order to hold out against various weeds that ruin the crops, while genetically modified maize is resistant to pests. After planting the genetically modified crops, farmers did report the decrease in usage of herbicides and insecticides. They simply did not need it in the first couple of years of cultivating the genetically crops. However, the situation did change after a couple of years.

The results

Planting and growing GMO crops do have a significant impact on the economy due to the fact that the crops in question are more resistant to the outside factors and they generally give more produce at the end of each harvest. Additionally, farmers spend far less money on pesticides since they are not needed in this situation.

However, this research discovered that after some time, genetically modified plants do change the environment around them and even though they don’t require specific herbicides or insecticides, they do give in to other weeds or pests. For instance, weeds that grow around genetically modified soy develop immunity and farmers usually start using large amounts of herbicides in order to keep the situation under control.

This fact alone has a huge impact on the economy and the farming methods since farmers have to spend more money on various chemicals in order to battle this unexpected situation that can arise after years of growing genetically modified crops. On the other hand, insects are not reacting in the same way to genetically modified crops probably because they breed with other insects who do not live in the same.

The team was surprised by their findings regarding the increased usage of herbicides and the impact it has on the economy. The patterns were quite clear so dealing with this problem should definitely be the next goal of GMO researchers who develop the crops in order to reduce the weed resistance and keep the balance.

The Passing of GMO Labeling Law: The Results So Far

When Obama passed a GMO labeling law in July, it became the first bill of this kind in history. The law itself was two years in the making, it will follow Vermont’s GMO labeling law and it will go country-wide. The law received mixed opinions by both politicians and the public that demanded more rigid and strict rules. To put it as shortly as possible, GMO labeling law requires some sort of insignia, whether a label or a QR code stating that a product contains GMO ingredients.

Vermont is the first US state that passed a GMO labeling law. Every company is required to disclose all the data about the possible GMO ingredients in each they sell in this state. Even though this law is exactly what the public wants (as a matter of fact, 90% or surveyed citizens clearly stated that they wish to know if there are GMO ingredients in the foods they are buying), it seems that Vermont’s GMO labeling law has a couple of flaws.

QR Codes

QR codes weren’t a part of the labeling law in the first place but Obama’s revised version supports them and now QR codes are allowed as well. So in order to find out all the ingredients in a product, you have to scan a code with your smartphone. This decision received a lot of criticism from the public due to the fact that not everyone has time to scan each product separately and it can get a bit tiresome. It is a waste of time for many shoppers and despite the general presumption, smartphones are not so common.

So the GMO labeling law became almost useless even though it was a great idea in the beginning. Transparency is very important when it comes to the relationship between GMO products and the consumers. The United States already produces large quantities of GMO foods that are sold on a daily basis. The research of the GMO ingredients that can be found in certain foods did not show any negative results, but people are still a bit wary about the genetically modified foods they might be consuming.

This distrust for the certain food manufacturing companies comes from the fear of the unknown. So in order to gain more support from the public, food manufacturers should disclose the ingredients regardless of their origin. This is the best way to teach the public about GMO foods and show them there is nothing to fear. Believe it or not, a vast number of people are not even aware they consume GMO products every single day and they might even claim that they eat organic foods. Education of the consumers is everything if we want to move on and develop more efficient and pest resistant food products that will be cheaper and easier to produce, and full disclosure is crucial. So GMO labeling law looks like something that will aid this mission. However, it seems that the public is not in favor of QR codes, so we should simply wait and see how many companies will use them on their products.

Plenish Soybeans and the Genetic Reduction of Trans Fats in Oil Use

    Soybeans are an incredibly useful crop necessary around the world for their protein content and their use in creating oils. However, the health liabilities of using soybean oil cause a danger to the public- soybean, when cooked or fried on intense heat create trans-fat- and so DuPont has created “Plenish” soybeans genetically engineered to reduce the amount of trans-fat in their soy.

       To put into perspective how in demand soybean oil is, the website Soyconnection states in their article “Soybean Oil Uses and Overview” that, due to its use in numerous food products such as margarine, shortenings, mayonnaise, salad dressings, frozen foods, imitation dairy and meat, and baked goods, soybean oil is the most highly used food oil in America and takes up 55% of the market of vegetable oils. While this is obviously good for those in the industry there is a problem with such widespread use of soybeans as oil- the health content.

       As reported on GMO-Compass.org, the amount of oleic content available in soybeans is around 23% with higher linoleic acid content. Genetically modified soybeans have a much higher available amount of oleic content at 86%, with a correspondingly lower amount of linoleic acid. The report, “Soya Bean”, goes on to state that it is the linoleic acid that causes the formation of trans fat during the high temperature heating/frying process, and that soybeans like Plenish form less trans-fat as a result.

       The health benefits do not end there. The article “A GMO Soybean, Engineered to Improve Your Health” on fastcoexist.com reports that in addition to lessening the amount of trans-fat, the higher oleic acid content contributes in other ways. The monounsaturated fatty acid is already a main component of heart healthy oils in general, and they contain lower saturated fats in addition to trans-fats, which are culprits in exacerbating high blood pressure. Furthermore, oleic acid plays a large role in maintaining the shelf life of soybean products, improving it to about two to three times the length of normal soybean oil products on the market.

      There’s a practical farming benefit to the use of modified soybeans over, say, high oleic canola oil. Soybeans are both a highly planted crop, taking up lots of farming space, and they are also very resilient, allowing much of the crop to be harvested even in times of hardships or distress. Making healthier soybeans used in the majority of vegetable oils then aims to be a win-win scenario: there are more plentiful and resilient soybeans to be used in the most produced type of oil in America.

     Time will tell if it catches on, though. As the fastcoexist article goes on to mention, unfortunately for DuPont their visual of popular low trans-fat products took too long to make a reality. Because of the time it takes for genetically modified plants to pass rigorous testing and inspections, not only has rival Monsanto come out with their own version named “Vistive Gold”, but producers of other oil products (like that of the aforementioned canola oil) have already moved to corner the market on less trans-fat oils. In addition to that, the stigma surrounding the use of genetically modified plant products, with modified soybeans being a particular focus, has limited the planting and sale of the Plenish soybeans on the world market. There is hope that soybeans can serve as an ambassador of sorts about the wondrous benefits of genetic modification, but in case there isn’t enough interest or market share left for them as edibles there one more option- industrial uses, like use in foam packing and hydraulic fluid.

Sources:

United Soybean Board. (2016). Soybean Uses and Overview. SoyConnection. 

Gmo-Compass. (2010). USA: New GM soybean with higher oleic acid content approved. Gmo-Compass.org. 

Schwartz, A. (2014). A GMO Soybean, Engineered To Improve Your Health. Fastcoexist.