GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS: - PowerPoint Presentation

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GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS: FACTS AND MYTHS

PRESENTEDBYFEDERAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH OSHODILAGOS STATE

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An Overview of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

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White biotechnology as any technology application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use (Elemo

, 2016).Industrial biotechnology is employed in a wide range of industries, including chemicals, plastics, food and feed, detergents, pulp and paper, electronics, textiles, bio-processing catalysts, and biofuels (CBD, 2012).

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Broadly, two types of Industrial Biotechnology exist. These are….

Whole organism’s technology

Enzyme technology

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The products of industrial biotechnology are grouped into….

biomass

bioprocess

bio-product

bulk and fine chemicals

biofuels and bioenergy

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Sustainable development describes that development that meets the need of the present without undermining or compromising the need of the future generation.

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A closer look shows that industry is sustainable when it is:

economically viable (uses natural, financial and human capital to create value, wealth and profits).environmentally compatible (uses cleaner, more eco-efficient products and processes to prevent pollution, depletion of natural resources as well as loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitat).socially responsible

(behaves in an ethical manner and manages the various impacts of its production through initiatives such as Responsible Care).

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By the year 2025, an increasing number of chemicals and materials will be produced using biotechnology in one or more of the processing steps. If the vision is to be fulfilled, the key commercial objectives for an R&D programme are:

The development and production of novel, innovative products and processes in a cost- and eco-efficient manner, increasingly using renewable raw materials.The discovery and optimisation of improved microbial strains and biocatalysts.

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To achieve these, seven major areas of research and technology were identified cooperatively by the stakeholders:

Novel enzymes and micro-organisms

Metabolic engineering and modelling

Microbial genomics and bio-informatics

Biocatalyst function and optimisation

Bio-catalytic process design

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Fermentation science and engineering

Innovative downstream processing

Plant breeding

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THE GENERAL FACTS OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS

An Over-view

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Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. The technology is often called modern biotechnology or gene technology. This is also called recombinant DNA technology or genetic engineering (WHO, 2010)

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The transgenic edible Plants: Another Direction of genetically-modified foods

Transgenic plants are plants that the gens are manipulated or modified to achieve any or more of the following: disease or drought resistance, nutritional property improvement, reduced allergens and hypersensitivities, improved tastes etc. These genetically modified referred to as transgenic plants can provide food with enhanced nutritional content.

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For Instance, FAO (2003-2004) documented the availability of genetically modified Golden Rice which has been modified in its genes to contain two daffodil genes and one bacterial gene which cooperate as operon to impact elevated levels of provitamin A in the rice.

Similarly, Green Fact Sheet of the Food and Agricultural organization (FAO, 2003-2004) showed a related project where rice was genetically modified to have elevated levels of Provitamin A, Protein, and Iron.PROTATO, a genetically modified potato which carries south American Amaranth plant. Therefore, the transgenic potato contains more proteins than normal because of the gene manipulation.

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Other projects aim to produce plant oils with lower levels of undesirable fatty acids or to reduce allergens in common foods such as peanuts, soybean, and cereals. Trees with reduced lignin content would be useful for the pulp and paper industry and would lessen the amount of polluting chemicals used in the production processes.

In the most recent times, scientists through a standardized protocol have developed plants that are more tolerant to aluminum in the soil matrix. The gene known as rye gene is more than double resistant to soil aluminum than wheat (which is known to resist aluminum naturally without modification) (FAO, 2003).

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The concept of Horizontal Gene transfers in the face of cutting edge research;

a major aspect of genetically modified Foods

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Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT)…..

……. is just a shuttle of genes from one species of organisms to another species not related in terms of class, genus, phylum etc. (Giraldo et al., 2019).

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Typically in Genetic modification, the transfer of genes from microorganisms to plants (vice-versa) to ensure food availability, have been greeted by public health concerns as scientific communities and general public hold a strong view that it might impact on human or animal health (

Nicolia et al., 2014; Giacomo et al., 2016; Giraldo et al., 2019 ).

Giacomo et al.,

(2016) reported that the transgenes of genetically modified corns did not appear in the blood, muscles, kidneys and spleens of cows fed with the corns.

Similarly, Phillip et al (2003), showed that recombinant DNA in an experimental trial using cattle was in ruminal solid phase and duodenal digesta. However, the DNA was not found in liquid ruminal and duodenal phase, including blood, faeces, and milk, blood. The work of Phillip

et al., (2003) has effectively shown a rapid degradation of the chimeras/ recombinant genes/ transgenes in the first digestive stages (Phipps et al., 2003).

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At large, with in depth studies across the globe, laboratory evidences suggest that the risks of horizontal gene transfer are significantly low or probably not in existence.

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Food security, poverty, and sustainable development goals

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Food security is a measure of the availability of food and individuals' ability to access it (FAO, 2003).

At the 1974 World Food Conference the term "food security" was defined with an emphasis on supply. They said food security is the "availability at all times of adequate, nourishing, diverse, balanced and moderate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices (FAO, 2003).

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Sasson (2012), emphasized that food insecurity is still a major global concern as 1 billion people are suffering from starvation, under, and malnutrition, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has concluded that the globe is still far from reaching millennium development goal (MDG) number 1: which of course to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. The MDG KEPT Nigeria far apart with the developed nations of the world as by 2015 hunger and extreme poverty was not fully eradicated in Nigeria. Considering the Sustainable Development Goals, Goals 1 and 2 emphasizes on complete eradication of hunger and poverty, there is need to integrate genetically modified food into food supply chain of the globe in order to achieve the SDG.

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Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) technology has been widely used in agriculture in the last years in several regions, and has diverse potentials in addressing the challenges of sustainable development such as pest and diseases, drought, malnutrition and food insecurity, in developing countries (Ademola, 2015).

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Isiaka (2017) x-rayed three Possible Pathways How genetically modified crops could Impact on Food Security and sustainable development Goals 1 and 2. First Genetically modified foods could contribute to Food production Increases and thus improves the availability of Food at global and local Levels. Second, genetically modified crops could affect Food Safety and Food Quality. Third, Gm Crops could influence the Economic and Social Situation of farmers, Thus Improving their economic access to food

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Safety assessment of genetically-modified foods

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The Codex framework of the safety assessment Based on the Codex Principles for the Risk Analysis of Foods Derived from Modern Biotechnology (2003), the Codex Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants was introduced in 2003 (FAO, 2009).

The risk assessment according to FAO (2009) uses scientific protocols to confirm that the products of genetic modification that serves as food either in plant, animal or microbial forms does not expose the consumers to hazards coming through expressed proteins, metabolites at all levels

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The efforts to achieve this safety assessment will include but not limited to molecular characterization of tissues, body fluids of animals, milk, muscles, kidney, liver and animal droppings. Animal feeding studies nevertheless have recognized limitations.

There is equally need to engage a chronic toxicity studies which will involve long-term administration of the test substance (GM FOOD), usually in the diet or drinking water, and sometimes by gavage.Food allergies are adverse reactions to an otherwise harmless food or food component and involve an abnormal response of the body’s immune system to specific protein(s) in foods known as allergens. Potential allergenicity is a concern with proteins introduced into the human diet through food derived from recombinant-DNA plants, especially when there is no history of their consumption, where the source cannot be readily identified.

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Other approach to allergen studies includes pepsin resistance studies, and amino acid homology (FAO, 2003). In amino acid homology, the purpose of a sequence homology comparison is to assess the extent to which a newly expressed protein is similar in structure to a known allergen.

Sequence homology searches should be performed to compare the structure of all newly expressed proteins with all known allergens. It has been recommended that searches be conducted using various algorithms such as FASTA or BLASTP24 to predict overall structural similarities (FAO, 2003).

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The World Health Organization (2020) had earlier documented the potential human health effects of new GM foods, and strongly recommended painstaking or holistic long- and short-term risk evaluation before they are produced and marketed. The report from WHO (2020) also recommends FUTURE evaluations of GM foods IN THE AREAS OF social, cultural and ethical considerations, to help ensure there is no genetic divide between groups of countries which do and do not allow the growth, cultivation, production and marketing of GM products (WHO, 2020).

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Labelling of genetically-modified foods: policies

In order to address food security issues, the production of genetically modified foods has well been integrated into the Agricultural practices of most developed part of the globes. This will indirectly increase access of farmers to Biotechnology.It is worthy to mention that the continuous spread of misinformation around the safety of GMF has made it mandatory for Gm products to be labeled accordingly. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has it as a regulatory agency has a major mandate of protecting the health of consumers. In the light of GMF the CAC addresses labeling issues only in the context of risk management: if risk assessment identifies no significant risk, labeling is not needed (Borges

et al., 2018). Therefore, labeling should be considered only if both the risk is present and the GMO is approved (CAC, 2011; Borges

et al., 2018).

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Notwithstanding, the information contained in a label is valuable, necessary, and a consumer right. This right enables the consumers to understand all the safety risks and the group of people such foods are meant for.

Radura

and the Brazilian GMO symbol (Borges

et al., 2018)

 

Radura

(left side) is the international symbol for food that has been treated with ionizing radiation. The obligatory symbol used to identify GMF in Brazil and other parts of the globe (right side) is related to international visual communication for hazardous products (Borges

et al.,

2018)

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Comparative evaluation of the facts and myths of genetically-modified foods

Genetically modified foods have caused a lot of controversies in Asia including China in the relatively recent times. Social media content and discussions by non-experts who are just expressing fears out of ignorance constitute a major foundation of wrong knowledge.The facts and myths of Genetically-modified foods are hereby tabulated overleaf;

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S/N

MYTHS

FACTS

REFERENCES

1

Farmers cannot be able to save the GMO seeds

Yes, It is true that patented GMO seeds are often protected by intellectual property rules, meaning farmers must pledge not to save them and replant. However, hybrid seeds also need to be purchased each season because they don't breed true, so this is not a new issue for many farmers. In both cases, farmers choose to purchase these seeds because they get a better yield and make more money

Alliance for Science, 2018

2

Organic foods are safer than GM Food

No, no unsafe GM food will be marketed for consumption and consumers deserve the right to know what they eat and eat what they know

Alliance for Science, 2018

3

GM Foods are never natural

No, Genetic modification can only replicates a process that has been occurring in nature for millions of years as bacteria and viruses regularly shuttle genes between different species. So the process is fully natural

Alliance for Science, 2018

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4

Genetically modified foods are not safe for the Environment

No, Farmers that use GM seedling do not do effective tilling and deforestations. Thus it reduces topsoil losses, erosion and fertilizer leakages into surrounding surface water (eutrophication). The cultivation of Pest resistant GM is a big benefit to environment and mankind

Alliance for Science, 2018

6

There are no comprehensive safety tests for GM Foods

No, There are standard and approved testing protocols as recommended by WHO and Codex 

Alimenatarius

commission

Alliance for Science, 2018

7

GM Foods are just organized plots by developed nations to control developing nations

No, farmers in developing parts of the world choose biotech because these crops have helped to alleviate hunger by increasing incomes for 18 million low income earning families, bringing financial stability to more than 65 million people in developing nations

Alliance for Science, 2018

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8

Foods with GMOs contain fewer nutrients

Genetic Engineering only focuses agriculture that bye passes herbicides and pesticides, without altering nutritional composition. And proximate analyses of Gm foods showed same nutrient contents than the so called conventional foods.

 

9

Foods with GMOs confirm how scientists play gods.

This is just another strong lies. Scientists have done a lot of innovation including development of antibiotics, refining of crude petroleum without being seen as playing god. Therefore, they cannot equally play gods because of GMF.

 

10

Consuming GMO food can change your DNA

Lies.

Experiments have shown that DNA incorporated into the foods were degraded and never appeared in the food, milk, kidneys, muscles, spleens of the animal.

Phillip et al (2003)

11

GMO foods kills Honey Bees , and will definitely drive the bees into extinction

This is not true. The decline in Bee population has been scientifically linked to the use of pesticide. Meanwhile the GMO are modified into existence to avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides

McFadden (2019)

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12

Genetically-modified food can cause cancer

This is a common myth amongst ignorant consumer. This is based on famous 2012 French study that fed rats a GMO-only diet, and they developed organ enlargement. However, an well-controlled experiment has been used to debunk the myth

McFadden (2019)

13

GMO foods are everywhere and are impossible to avoid

In fact, to date, there are only ten crops that have been approved for full production.

These currently include Alfalfa, Canola, Rainbow Papayas, Soybeans, Sugar beets, Corn (field and sweet), Cotton, Squash

 

McFadden (2019)

14

GM Foods are big threats to Biodiversity

Not TURUE. The less focused and productive this agriculture is, the more

destructive its effects will be

 

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GM Foods could contain toxins

The FDA requires chemical analyses and toxicity studies

 

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Conclusion: Allaying the myths of genetically engineered foods in

nigeria using regulatory agencies.

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The mis-information and controversies of genetically modified food is not just an exotic matter as Nigeria is also part of it.

Development of plants/organisms that can reduce the impact of climate change and serve in pollution remediation, Improvement of the medical sector using various organisms that abound in the country.

Nigeria witnessed a long delay in the signing of Biosafety bill between the 6th

and 7th Assemblies with strong degrees of acceptance and agreement amongst stakeholders and Nigerian Law makers. It was in April 2015, that the biosafety law was eventually signed into law by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. The signing of the Law led to the establishment of the National Bio-safety Management Agency (NBMA) to regulate the law

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Before this event, the national assembly received petitions from members of the public and non-governmental organizations over attempts to introduce genetically modified foods such as Maize, cotton etc. (CI, 2005). This did not go without response from the National Bio-safety Management Agency (NABMA) and Open forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAM) that allayed the fears of Nigerians about alleged attempts to introduce genetically modified (GM) crops, saying every genetically modified organism (GMO) in the country is properly analyzed and approved by the agency (Miko

et al., 2018).

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REFERENCES

Ademola, A.A. (2015). Role of Modern Biotechnology in Sustainable Development: Addressing social-political dispute of GMO’s that influence decision-Making in developing countries, Brief for GSDR, PP 4. Bertrand, A., Joly, P. B., and Marris, C. (2005). L’expérience

française d’évaluation

technologique interactive sur les vignes

transgéniques. Ethique

Publique 7 (1), 186–194.Borges, B.J.,

Arantes

, O.M.N., Fernandes, A.A.R., Broach, J.R., and Fernandes, P.M.B.(2018). Genetically modified labeling policies: moving forward or backward, Frontiers in Bio-engineering and Biotechnology, 6: 1-10.

C.I (2005). Comments on Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Labeling of food and food ingredients Obtained through Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification / Genetic Engineering: Labeling Provisions‖ (At Step 3 of the Procedure) March, 2005. Consumers International, as documented

In:

G. Olugbenga (2017). Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) and Its Environmental Conflict Situation in Nigeria,

American Journal of Environmental Policy and Management,

(5): 31-38. Global agricultural information.

CBD (2012). Convention on Biodiversity, Bioscience at a Cross Roads: Access and Benefits sharing in a time of scientific, technological and Industry Change: Industrial Biotechnology.

Elemo

, G.N. (2016). Industrial Biotechnology and Sustainable Development, Guest Lecture delivered at the International Biotechnology

Confrence

exhibition and workshop (IBCE & W) held between 6-7

th

June, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State-Nigeria.

FAO (2003-2004).

Sciebtific

facts on genetically modified crops, A technical paper produced by Food and Agriculture

Organisation

(FAO): Green Facts, pp 16.

FAO (2009). GM food safety assessment tools for trainers, FAO press Italy, ISBN 9789251059784.

Giacomo, M., De-

Domenicantonio

, C., di-

Santis

, B., de-

Debegnach

, F.,

Onori

, R., and Brera, C. (2016). Carry-over of DNA from genetically modified soya bean and maize to cow’s milk. J. Anim. Feed Sci. 25, 109–115.

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Giraldo, P.A.,

Shinozuka, H., Spangenberg, G.C., Cogan, N.O.I., Smith, K.F. (2019). Safety Assessment of Genetically-modified feed: Is there any difference from food, Frontier in Plant Science, 10: 1-17.Isiaka, A.K. (2017). Genetically-modified crops for sustainable food security in Nigeria, Research Journal of Pure Science & Technology, 1(2); 13-17.Macfadden , C. (2019).7 General Myths and Misconceptions About GMO Foods,

In: Science /Biology. Available at:

Ferran Pestaña/Wikimedia Commons.

Miko, A.S., MuHD, .A.A., and Umar, S.S. (2018). Effect of genetically modified Agricultural products on Health of Consumers in Nigeria, International Journal of Advanced Academic Research? Sciences, Technology and Engineering, 4(6): 46-55.

National Geography (2018). Are Genetically Modified Crops the Answer to World Hunger? Resource Libraary

, 

Avalable

 at https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/are-genetically-modified-crops-answer-world-hunger/

Nicolia

, A., Manzo, A., Veronesi, F., and

Rosellini

, D. (2014). An overview of the last 10 years of genetically engineered crop safety research. Crit. Rev. In

Biotechnol

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Phipps, R. H.,

Deaville

, E. R., and Maddison, B. C. (2003). Detection of transgenic and endogenous plant DNA in rumen fluid, duodenal digesta, milk, blood, and faeces of lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 86, 4070–4078.

Rizzi

, A.,

Raddadi

, N., Sorlini, C.,

Nordgrd

, L., Nielsen, K. M., and

Daffonchio

, D. (2012). The stability and degradation of dietary DNA in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals: implications for horizontal gene transfer and the biosafety of GMOs. Crit. Rev. In: Food Sci.

Nutr

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Sasson, A. (2012). Food Security for Africa: an urgent global challenge, Agriculture and Food Security, 1(2): 1-16.

Sujia, J., and Wei, F. (2019). Misinformation and disinformation in Science: examining the social diffusion of rumours about GMO’s, Cultures of Science, 2(4): 327-340.Trade Reforms and Food Security: Conceptualizing the Linkages. FAO, UN. 2003.