Genetically modified foods: safety, risks and public concerns - a review.
01 Dec 2013-Journal of Food Science and Technology-mysore (Springer India)-Vol. 50, Iss: 6, pp 1035-1046
TL;DR: Techniques for genetically modifying foods offer dramatic promise for meeting some areas of greatest challenge for the 21st century but also pose some risks, both known and unknown.
Abstract: Genetic modification is a special set of gene technology that alters the genetic machinery of such living organisms as animals, plants or microorganisms. Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology and the resulting organism is said to be ‘Genetically modified (GM)’, ‘Genetically engineered’ or ‘Transgenic’. The principal transgenic crops grown commercially in field are herbicide and insecticide resistant soybeans, corn, cotton and canola. Other crops grown commercially and/or field-tested are sweet potato resistant to a virus that could destroy most of the African harvest, rice with increased iron and vitamins that may alleviate chronic malnutrition in Asian countries and a variety of plants that are able to survive weather extremes. There are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, fish that mature more quickly, fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties. Technologies for genetically modifying foods offer dramatic promise for meeting some areas of greatest challenge for the 21st century. Like all new technologies, they also pose some risks, both known and unknown. Controversies and public concern surrounding GM foods and crops commonly focus on human and environmental safety, labelling and consumer choice, intellectual property rights, ethics, food security, poverty reduction and environmental conservation. With this new technology on gene manipulation what are the risks of “tampering with Mother Nature”?, what effects will this have on the environment?, what are the health concerns that consumers should be aware of? and is recombinant technology really beneficial? This review will also address some major concerns about the safety, environmental and ecological risks and health hazards involved with GM foods and recombinant technology.
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TL;DR: This paper reviews the last advances in the biological treatments aimed at upgrading lignocellulosic wastes, implementing the biorefinery concept and advocating circular economy.
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TL;DR: A regulatory model that takes into account the various methodologies to achieve genetic modifications as well as the resulting types of mutation is proposed, and the future integration of genome-editing crops into society is discussed.
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Cites background from "Genetically modified foods: safety,..."
...In our opinion, the time is right to gradually transition from process-based GMO regulations to product-based GMO regulations, because many countries have had sufficient regulatory experience regarding conventional transgenesis since the early 1990s [30, 33]....
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TL;DR: This review gathers and compares the results from most relevant studies and may serve as a framework for directed further experimental approaches to ultimately achieve a resolute challenge of multidrug resistant bacteria based on traditional antibiotics and phages.
Abstract: With the emerging threat of infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria, phages have been reconsidered as an alternative for treating infections caused by tenacious pathogens. However, instead of replacing antibiotics, the combination of both types of antimicrobials can be superior over the use of single agents. Enhanced bacterial suppression, more efficient penetration into biofilms, and lowered chances for the emergence of phage resistance are the likely advantages of the combined strategy. While a number of studies have provided experimental evidence in support of this concept, negative interference between phages and antibiotics have been reported as well. Neutral effects have also been observed, but in those cases, combined approaches may still be important for at least hampering the development of resistance. In any case, the choice of phage type and antibiotic as well as their mixing ratios must be given careful consideration when deciding for a dual antibacterial approach. The most frequently tested bacterium for a combined antibacterial treatment has been Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but encouraging results have also been reported for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, and Burkholderia cepacia. Given the immense play area of conceivable phage-antibiotic combinations and their potential excess value, it is time to recapitulate of what has been achieved so far. This review therefore gathers and compares the results from most relevant studies in order to help researchers and clinicians in their strategies to combat multidrug resistant bacteria. Special attention is given to the selected bacterial model organisms, the phage families and genera employed, and the experimental design and evaluation (e.g., in vitro vs. in vivo models, biofilm vs. planktonic culture experiments, order and frequency of administration etc.). The presented data may serve as a framework for directed further experimental approaches to ultimately achieve a resolute challenge of multidrug resistant bacteria based on traditional antibiotics and phages.
179 citations
Cites background from "Genetically modified foods: safety,..."
..., 2016), the reluctance toward using replicating entities for therapy may be complicated by general public concerns surrounding the use of genetically manipulated compounds within humans (Bawa and Anilakumar, 2013)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors summarize up-to-date knowledge about the benefits and potential problems of GM foods and introduce some recent technological developments in GM foods, and their impact in the field.
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TL;DR: A comprehensive update on the current status of the genetically modified (GM) crops under cultivation is presented and it is expected that such crops might achieve higher consumer acceptance as compared to the transgenic crops and would get faster regulatory approvals.
Abstract: While transgenic technology has heralded a new era in crop improvement, several concerns have precluded their widespread acceptance. Alternative technologies, such as cisgenesis and genome-editing may address many of such issues and facilitate the development of genetically engineered crop varieties with multiple favourable traits. Genetic engineering and plant transformation have played a pivotal role in crop improvement via introducing beneficial foreign gene(s) or silencing the expression of endogenous gene(s) in crop plants. Genetically modified crops possess one or more useful traits, such as, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, disease resistance, and nutritional improvement. To date, nearly 525 different transgenic events in 32 crops have been approved for cultivation in different parts of the world. The adoption of transgenic technology has been shown to increase crop yields, reduce pesticide and insecticide use, reduce CO2 emissions, and decrease the cost of crop production. However, widespread adoption of transgenic crops carrying foreign genes faces roadblocks due to concerns of potential toxicity and allergenicity to human beings, potential environmental risks, such as chances of gene flow, adverse effects on non-target organisms, evolution of resistance in weeds and insects etc. These concerns have prompted the adoption of alternative technologies like cisgenesis, intragenesis, and most recently, genome editing. Some of these alternative technologies can be utilized to develop crop plants that are free from any foreign gene hence, it is expected that such crops might achieve higher consumer acceptance as compared to the transgenic crops and would get faster regulatory approvals. In this review, we present a comprehensive update on the current status of the genetically modified (GM) crops under cultivation. We also discuss the issues affecting widespread adoption of transgenic GM crops and comment upon the recent tools and techniques developed to address some of these concerns.
154 citations
References
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the ability of proteins in transgenic and non-transgenic soybeans, Brazil nuts, and purified 2S albumin to bind to IgE in serum from subjects allergic to Brazil nuts was determined by radioallergosorbent tests (4 subjects) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (9 subjects) with immunoblotting and autoradiography.
Abstract: BACKGROUND
The nutritional quality of soybeans (Glycine max) is compromised by a relative deficiency of methionine in the protein fraction of the seeds. To improve the nutritional quality, methionine-rich 2S albumin from the Brazil nut (Betholletia excelsa) has been introduced into transgenic soybeans. Since the Brazil nut is a known allergenic food, we assessed the allergenicity of the 2S albumin.
METHODS
The ability of proteins in transgenic and non-transgenic soybeans, Brazil nuts, and purified 2S albumin to bind to IgE in serum from subjects allergic to Brazil nuts was determined by radioallergosorbent tests (4 subjects) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (9 subjects) with immunoblotting and autoradiography. Three subjects also underwent skin-prick testing with extracts of soybean, transgenic soybean, and Brazil nut.
RESULTS
On radioallergosorbent testing of pooled serum from four subjects allergic to Brazil nuts, protein extracts of transgenic soybean inhibited binding of IgE to Brazil-nut proteins. On immunoblotting, serum IgE from eight of nine subjects bound to purified 2S albumin from the Brazil nut and the transgenic soybean. On skin-prick testing, three subjects had positive reactions to extracts of Brazil nut and transgenic soybean and negative reactions to soybean extract.
CONCLUSIONS
The 2S albumin is probably a major Brazil-nut allergen, and the transgenic soybeans analyzed in this study contain this protein. Our study show that an allergen from a food known to be allergenic can be transferred into another food by genetic engineering.
598 citations
TL;DR: The study shows that an allergen from a food known to be allergenic can be transferred into another food by genetic engineering.
Abstract: Background The nutritional quality of soybeans (Glycine max) is compromised by a relative deficiency of methionine in the protein fraction of the seeds. To improve the nutritional quality, methionine-rich 2S albumin from the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) has been introduced into transgenic soybeans. Since the Brazil nut is a known allergenic food, we assessed the allergenicity of the 2S albumin. Methods The ability of proteins in transgenic and nontransgenic soybeans, Brazil nuts, and purified 2S albumin to bind to IgE in serum from subjects allergic to Brazil nuts was determined by radioallergosorbent tests (four subjects) and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (nine subjects) with immunoblotting and autoradiography. Three subjects also underwent skin-prick testing with extracts of soybean, transgenic soybean, and Brazil nut. Results On radioallergosorbent testing of pooled serum from four subjects allergic to Brazil nuts, protein extracts of transgenic soybean inhibited bindin...
581 citations
"Genetically modified foods: safety,..." refers background in this paper
...Specifically, the studies noted that no residues of recombinant DNA or novel proteins have been found in any organ or tissue samples obtained from animals fed with GM plants (Nordlee 1996; Streit 2001)....
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TL;DR: A science-based, decision tree approach to assess the allergenic concerns associated with the introduction of gene products into new plant varieties and a balanced judgement of all the available data generated during allergenicity assessment will assure the safety of foods derived from genetically engineered crops.
Abstract: This article provides a science-based, decision tree approach to assess the allergenic concerns associated with the introduction of gene products into new plant varieties. The assessment focuses on the source from which the transferred gene was derived. Sources fall into three general categories: common allergenic food proteins; less common allergenic foods or other known allergen sources; and sources with no history of allergenicity. Information concerning the amino acid sequence identity to known allergenic proteins, in vitro and/or in vivo immunologic assays, and assessment of key physiochemical properties are included in reaching a recommendation on whether food derived from the genetically modified plant variety should be labeled as to the source of the transferred gene. In the end, a balanced judgement of all the available data generated during allergenicity assessment will assure the safety of foods derived from genetically engineered crops. Using the approaches described here, new plant varieties generated by genetic modification should be introduced into the marketplace with the same confidence that new plant varieties developed by traditional breeding have been introduced for decades.
434 citations
"Genetically modified foods: safety,..." refers background in this paper
...…as size and stability of the transgenically expressed protein (O’Neil et al. 1998) is even more unsound, particularly as its stability to gut proteolysis is assessed by an in vitro (simulated) testing (Metcalf et al. 1996) instead of in vivo (human/animal) testing and this is fundamentally wrong....
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...1998) is even more unsound, particularly as its stability to gut proteolysis is assessed by an in vitro (simulated) testing (Metcalf et al. 1996) instead of in vivo (human/animal) testing and this is fundamentally wrong....
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TL;DR: Diets containing genetically modified (GM) potatoes expressing the lectin Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) had variable effects on different parts of the rat gastrointestinal tract, particularly on the small intestine and caecum.
409 citations
"Genetically modified foods: safety,..." refers background in this paper
...Growing rats pair-fed on iso-proteinic and iso-caloric balanced diets containing raw or boiled non-GM potatoes and GM potatoes with the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) bulb lectin (GNA) gene (Ewen and Pusztai 1999) showed significant increase in the mucosal thickness of the stomach and the crypt length of the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes....
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...…iso-caloric balanced diets containing raw or boiled non-GM potatoes and GM potatoes with the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) bulb lectin (GNA) gene (Ewen and Pusztai 1999) showed significant increase in the mucosal thickness of the stomach and the crypt length of the intestines of rats fed GM…...
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