NURUL NAZIRAH BT MOHD NOOR NORHAYATI BT HASSAN SHAFIKAH AINUN BT MOHD SABRI GOKILAVANI A/P JAGANNATHAN

Foods which contain an added gene sequence Foods which have a deleted gene sequence Animal products from animals fed GM feed Products produced by GM organisms

To enhance the physical apperance

To make the food become tasty

To make the food longlasting

tomatoes

Vegetables

potatoes

cheese

rice

meat

Examples:

Find an organism with the desired trait Isolate the gene sequence that codes for the desired trait Insert the gene sequence into the genome of the plant cell

How can DNA be moved from one organism to another?

Allow the genetically altered cell to grow into a plant Allow the plant to propagate

How can DNA be moved from one organism to another?

A vector can carry DNA. The vector can be a pellet from a gene gun. Viruses and bacteria also can be utilized to transfer genes.

Possible Benefits of GM Foods

Easing of world hunger
Development of crops that can be grown in marginal soil

Reduced strain on nonrenewable resources

Development of drought resistant crops Development of salttolerant crops Development of crops that make more efficient use of nitrogen and other nutrients

Possible Benefits of GM Foods

Reduced use of pesticides and herbicides
Development of pest resistant crops Reduced herbicide use is better for the environment and reduces costs for farmers

Possible Benefits of GM Foods

Improved crop quality
Development of frost resistant crops Development of disease resistant crops Development of flood resistant crops

Improved nutritional quality

Development of foods designed to meet specific nutritional goals

Who makes sure GM foods are safe?

Government agencies regulate GM foods
GM foods in the United States are required to be labeled only if the nutritional value is changed or a new allergen is introduced.

Possible Risks of GM Foods

 Insects might develop resistance to pesticide-producing GM crops  Herbicide-tolerant crops may crosspollinate weeds, resulting in "superweeds"

Possible Risks for GM Foods

Certain gene products may be allergens, thus causing harm to human health There may be unintended harm to wildlife and beneficial insects

Photo courtesy of T. W. Davies, Cal. Acad. of Sciences.

Definition Genetically engineered foods have had foreign genes inserted into their genetic codes artificially. Genetic engineering can be done with plants, animals, or micro-organisms. Historically, farmers bred plants and animals for desired traits for thousands of years. They would produce dogs ranging from poodles to Great Danes, for example and roses from sweet-smelling miniatures to today's longlasting, but odor-free reds. Selective breeding over time created these wide variations, but it is dependent on nature producing the desired gene and humans choosing to mate animals or plants with that gene to make the related characteristics more common or more pronounced. Genetic engineering allows scientists to speed this process up by moving desired genes from one plant into another -- or even from an animal to a plant or vice versa. Overview & Functions Potential benefits of genetically engineered food include: More nutritious food Tastier food Disease and drought resistant plants that require fewer environmental resources (water, fertilizer, etc.) Decreased use of pesticides Increased supply of food with reduced cost and longer shelf life Faster growing plants and animals Food with more desirable traits, such as potatoes that absorb less fat when fried Medicinal foods which could be used as vaccines or other medications Potential risks include: 1. modified plants or animals may have genetic changes that are unexpected and harmful modified organisms may interbreed with natural organisms and out-compete them, leading to extinction of the original organism or to other unpredictable environmental effects a plant less resistant to some pests may be more susceptible to others

Overview Genetically-modified foods (GM foods) have made a big splash in the news lately. European environmental organizations and public interest groups have been actively protesting against GM foods for months, and recent controversial studies about the effects of genetically-modified corn pollen on monarch butterfly caterpillars1, 2 have brought the issue of genetic engineering to the forefront of the public consciousness in the U.S. In response to the up swelling of public concern, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held three open meetings in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Oakland, California to solicit public opinions and begin the process of establishing a new regulatory procedure for government approval of GM foods3. I attended the FDA meeting held in November 1999 in Washington, D.C., and here I will attempt to summarize the issues involved and explain the U.S. government's present role in regulating GM food. What are genetically-modified foods? The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The best known example of this is the use of B.t. genes in corn and other crops. B.t., or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B.t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer. For two informative overviews of some of the techniques involved in creating GM foods, visit Biotech Basics (sponsored by Monsanto) http://www.biotechknowledge.monsanto.com/biotech/bbasics.nsf/index or Techniques of Plant Biotechnology from the National Center for Biotechnology Education http://www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk/NCBE/GMFOOD/techniques.