Introduction of GM food

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Introduction of GM food

• GM foods mean foods or food
  ingredients that are or are derived from
  organisms that have been modified through the use
  of modern biotechnology. The new biotechnology is
  actually an extension of traditional plant
  breeding. The traditional plant breeding
  techniques, such as cross-fertilization of
  selected plants help people to produce desired
  traits. This is old biotechnology. The new
  biotechnology, known variously as gene splicing,
  recombinant DNA, or genetic engineering,
  involves direct modification of DNA, a living
  things genetic material. This new technique is
  more precise, making it possible to direct and
  predict changes without introducing extraneous,
  undesirable traits. The new technique will also
  allow scientists to introduce genes from
  essentially any organism into a plant.

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Transformation techniques Methods that put the
recombinant DNA into cell
Recombinant DNA techniques Formation of
recombinant DNA (plasmid, target DNA)
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3 main types of GM food technique

• 1. Inserting genes
• Genes are determined by different DNA sequences,
  when the isolated gene is inserted into a plant,
  it becomes part of the plants gene and works
  with its own function .
• This method can increase or improve the plant
  such as resistance to insects, which increases
  the yield of food afterwards.
• 2 Removing genes
• The function is reduced or stopped through
  genetic modification. We reduce the function of
  virus which causes dried and spot of the tomato
  by removing parts of the gene, thus that virus
  cannot be reproduced and tomato can grow
  healthily.
• 3. Changing the process of catabolism
• Food can be enhanced by changing the process of
  catabolism, such as controlling the percentage of
  starch of glutinous rice, and it also includes
  controlling the taste, mass, colour, and
  usefulness of food.

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How common is GM food?

• 80 of rice and wheat used nowadays.
• Half of the fields are used for planting GM food.
• 40 soy bean of US are genetic modified, and 60
  of soy beans products become GM food.
• 71 kinds of plants and micro-organisms in US were
  reported until 2005.

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Example of GM Food 2

• The first GM whole food, FLAVR SAVRTM tomato, was
  marketed in the United States in 1994.
• Slower ripen rate
• Ripen longer on vine
• Fully developed flavors

Flavr Savr Tomato developed by Calgene (Sources
http//www.ca.uky.edu/agripedia/glossary/flavr.htm
)
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Other examples of GM Food

• Soy bean
• Corn
• Papaya
• Potato
• Tomato
• Milk from GM cow
• Pumpkin

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Other examples of GM Food

• McDonalds hamburger
• KFCs Zinger burger
• Maxims Ham-egg sandwich
• KFCs Mashed potato with gravy
• Wyeth Nursoy Soy Based Infant Formula
• Nissin Chicken Cup Noodles
• Pringles Sour Cream'N Onion

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Potential Benefits

• Cure diseases or other medical uses
• A Singapore doctor is working on removing
  a gene from mice, if it is transferred to
  potatos gene, it can produce a protein
  abbreviated as ANF, which is used to cure
  hypertension, congestive heart failure, and
  failure of kidney.
• Increase the yield of food
• If the gene of plant is altered, their
  life cycle can be reduced. Compare with normal
  plant in same period of time, their yield is
  increased.
• Example Normal corns life cycle is half
  year and GM corns life cycle is 3 months. Each
  cycle can produce 500 corns. After 1 year, there
  are 1000 normal corns while 2000 GM corns, which
  is doubled of the normal one.

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Potential Benefits

• Resistance to bad living conditions
• In bad living conditions, the quantity and
  quality of normal plant decreases a lot, changing
  the gene of plant can make them grow healthily
  under bad conditions, and it brings advantages to
  companies and consumers.
• Besides, the plant may not be necessarily
  grown in original region but could be in
  mountains, desert or snowfield.
• Improve the appearance and taste of food
• The juice of tomato can have a better
  taste, and watermelon will have no seeds after
  genetically modified.
• Example Cubic watermelons and much larger
  apples which have been grown in Japan.

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Potential Benefits

• More resistance to insects
• The immunity towards insects is increased,
  hence less insecticide is used and less
  production cost is needed, the price can also be
  reduced.
• As no insecticide is used, it is safer to eat
  as insecticide is harmful to human.
• 6. Enhance the nutrition of food
• The nutrition value increases by changing the
  genes of
• food, thus consumer will gain advantages from
  it.
• Example GM rice produce more protein.
• GM tomatoes have more vitamin.

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Potential Benefits

• Alter the properties of food so that it is easier
  for food processing
• The production cost is reduced as it is
  easier to process the food, which leads to a
  lower price of that food hence it is economical.
• As there are fewer processes, less raw
  materials are wasted and it protects the
  environment.
• Remove the parts causing allergy
• The substances causing allergy can be
  removed, and things that have never been eaten by
  human before can be genetically modified so that
  it is suitable for eating, hence there are more
  choices of food.

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Potential Hazard

• 1 Affect the ecosystem
• There are cycles among different food
  chains, they relies on each other to form a
  steady and stable condition. GM food will affect
  this equilibrium seriously and it may cause
  extinction of certain species as many GM food is
  resistant towards insects.
• Super-germs may exist
• GM plant with immunity towards insect may
  develop super germs that have immunity towards GM
  plant. GM food may suffer from some new diseases
  and pass them to human through food chain.
• GM foods pollen grain or seed will be
  pollinated to other farmlands which cause the
  change of tradition species. When grass gain the
  new genes, it may become super grass which affect
  the ecosystem and cause hazard towards food
  production. It also leads to the more frequent
  use of grass remover and brings hazard towards
  the land.
• Example GM soybeans pollen grain cross
  with grass to form super grass that will not be
  killed easily.

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Potential Hazard

• Cause allergy
• As the structure of GM food is altered, it
  may cause allergy and the affected area may
  spread seriously.
• Cause failure of antibiotics
• When genes are inserted to cells,
  scientists will add some antibiotic to determine
  whether it is successful or not. If it is a
  success, new cells will gain immunity towards
  antibiotic and increase the strength of germs.
• As many plants have gained immunity
  towards insect, when people suffer from the
  disease or eat the plants, the antibiotics will
  become useless. And there may be no ways to fight
  against the super germs.

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Potential Hazard

• Alter the nutrition of food
• One of the uses of GM food is to increase
  the yield by shortening the life cycle, however,
  as the growing period is shorten, the nutrition
  value may decrease.
• Produce toxin and fatal disease
• The process of making GM food may produce
  toxin and fatal disease which may cause death
  after eating the food.
• 7. Transfer harmful substance to other organisms
• As virus is used to transfer gene for making
  GM food, and the gene transfer process cannot be
  controlled easily, it is possible for virus to
  gain harmful substance and harm other animals
  since.

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Potential Hazard

• 8. Extinct of certain genes
• Companies want to earn as much as possible
  hence they insert genes to their food so that no
  further generation can be produced, this causes
  extinction of food.
• When new genes are used commonly, the old
  ones will be abandoned and face extinction.
• 9. Indistinguishable between GM and non-GM food
• Soy bean from USA resist the insecticide
  hence 40 soybean were imported to Europe,
  however, both GM and non-GM soy bean are mixed
  and USA claims that there is no difference
  between GM soybean and normal one.

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Evidence of hazard

• The evolution of bacteria
• German scientist has discovered and shown GM
  foods gene has been passed onto organisms, and
  change the structure of gene of micro organism
  living in ileum. This proves that it will affect
  the humans health, and it makes us worry as our
  genes may also be altered.
• An experiment was set up as follows
• Genetic modified pollen grains were fed to young
  bees for a period of time, and the bacteria found
  in the bees ileum contains genes of GM pollen
  grain.
• Another example was introduced, the GM potato
  were fed to mice, and it thickens the wall of
  stomach, this shows that the chance of having
  cancer increases. Besides, the mice become weaker
  in fighting against disease and the brains of the
  mice wither. Other bad effects were found in
  kidney, intestine and spleen. GM potato will harm
  the liver and immune system.
• A person who is allergic to Brazils walnut ate
  some soybean that contains gene of the Brazils
  walnut showed same allergic symptoms in1991.

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Amazing Findings of GM food

• A 2005 study conducted by PG Economics
  investigating the global impact of GM crops
  reported that they contributed to significantly
  reduced greenhouse gas emissions from
  agricultural practices. This reduction results
  from decreased fuel use, about 1.8 billion litres
  in the past nine years, and additional soil
  carbon sequestration because of reduced ploughing
  or improved conservation tillage associated with
  biotech crops. In 2004, this reduction was
  equivalent to eliminating more than 10 billion kg
  of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or
  removing 5 million cars one-fifth of the cars
  registered in the United Kingdom from the road
  for one year.

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Conclusion

• After knowing the principles behind genetic
  engineering and GM food and realizing the
  potential benefits and hazards of GM food, we can
  overall or at least have a better understanding
  of the scope of GM food. Undoubtedly, GM food has
  both potential benefits and hazards. But no
  matter you like GM food or not, it is widespread
  globally and can be found worldwide. Just look
  around and you will see them all around you. The
  worldwide spread of GM food is still a
  controversial issue nowadays. No one can surely
  say that GM food has more benefits than demerits
  or say that it has more hazards than merits. The
  truth of GM food is not yet unlocked for the time
  being. It takes time and effort for the truth to
  be unlocked in the foreseeable generations.
• Overall, after comparing the potential benefits
  and hazards of GM food, our group agrees that GM
  food can bring more merits than demerits to human
  beings. To a certain extent, GM food is a
  valuable asset to the modern world.

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Group Member List

• Chan Kwing Lam (1)
• Chu Ho Shing (5)
• Lam Chung Kwun (12)