|
INTRODUCTION This paper is about Biotechnology and its use in creating new
food products. In researching this paper, I found there is a lot of information
on this subject and a lot of debate on the creation of genetically altered food,
medicine, crops, and more. I decided to do my paper on the genetically altered
food part of the subject. I will discuss what biotechnology is, who is for it
and who is against it, and what some of the ethical concerns are when it comes
to growing genetically modified (GM) crops. THE FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY DEBATE WHAT
IS BIOTECHNOLOGY? Biotechnology is a broad term that applies to all living
organisms. It is used for everything from microorganisms used to ferment beer to
the most sophisticated forms of gene therapy. There are two categories of
activities in biotechnology: the traditional methods and new scientific methods.
The traditional methods are the way that farmers have been breeding their crop
for centuries, cross breeding plants until finally some generation down the line
is exactly the way they want it. The new methods are taking genes from different
organisms and inserting them into another organism in the lab. This eliminates
the waiting period to get the results they want, instead they get the exact
plant they want right away. The United States government defines it as being any
technique that uses living organisms or parts of living organisms to (1) make or
modify products, (2) improve plants or animals, or (3) develop microorganisms
for specific uses. The purpose of biotechnology in foods is to create better
tasting and more nutritious foods, that have higher crop yields, and plants that
are naturally protected from disease, insects, and drought. Through
biotechnology scientist can develop plants with only specific beneficial traits
and leave out the undesirable traits. They can change one characteristic or a
few characteristics at a time with current technology.
This enables them to
release, for use, the modified seeds one step at a time instead of spending
years to develop the best tasting and hardiest plants all at once. It takes 10 –
12 years to breed plants in the traditional way. With biotechnology, breeders
can select the exact traits they are looking for and mix them together enabling
them to get the plants they want in only 1 - 2 years. Crops that are currently
produced in the U.S. through biotechnology are soybeans, corn, canola, tomatoes,
squash, and potatoes. These crops are suppose to be improved versions of the
traditional ones with added beneficial traits. RISKS Some of the risks, to
humans, that scientists have identified are new allergens in the food supply,
antibiotic resistance, a concentration of toxic metals, and enhancement of the
environment for toxic fungi. NEW ALLERGENS New allergens could cause problems
for people that are sensitive to certain things and do not know that they are
now part of something else that they were not allergic to.
For example if they
put certain milk proteins into carrots, parents would know not to give children
allergic to milk the milk but they would not think twice about giving them the
transgenic carrots that now contain milk proteins. A study done at the
University of Nebraska showed that soybeans that were genetically engineered to
contain proteins from Brazil nuts caused people allergic to Brazil nuts to have
reactions to the soybeans. ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE In genetic engineering the
often use antibiotic resistant genes as what they call selectable markers. The
markers help select cells that have taken up foreign genes. Although the cells
no longer have a use for the genes, they still stay in the plant tissues
forever. Having these antibiotic genes in foods could cause two problems. This
first is eating the foods that contain the genes could reduce the effectiveness
of taking antibiotics that need to be taken with food when you are sick.
An
example is if you eat a tomato with the antibiotic genes at the same time as you
take an antibiotic, the genes could destroy the antibiotic in your stomach. The
second thing that could happen is the resistance genes could be transferred to
humans making the antibiotics taken when ill useless. Although number two is
unlikely with out some kind of scientific mediation, the possibility should be
closely checked. CONCENTRATION OF TOXIC METALS Some of the new genes being added
to plants have the ability to remove heavy metal, such as mercury, from the soil
and concentrate then in the tissues of the plant. The reason, they have added
these genes in some plant, is so that municipal sludge can be used a fertilizer.
The sludge contains nutrients that are good for the plants, however the sludge
is also contaminated with heavy metals. The idea is to make the plant so that
they can remove the metals to non-edible parts of the plant.
For example, in a
tomato plant the metal would concentrate in the roots and in a potato plant, the
metal would be in the leaves. To do this they use some kind of genetic on and
off switches. The risk is that if the switch is not completely off the edible
part of the plant could be contaminated. ENHANCEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR
TOXIC FUNGI It is possible that removing genes from plant could cause problems.
The example I found is the caffeine in coffee beans, by turning the gene off or
removing it completely to grow decaffeinated coffee they could create a fungal
problem. The caffeine in coffee beans actually protects the plants from fungi.
If beans are unable to produce the caffeine, they could be coated with a layer
of toxic fungi, such as aflatoxin, which is toxic to humans and these toxins can
remain in the food through the processes of food preparation. BENEFITS There are
many potential benefits of genetic engineering of organisms.
Some of the
envisioned benefits are engineering animals for leaner meat, drug-producing
facilities, to resist diseases and sources for transplant organs. Engineering
plants to resist herbicides, diseases and pests, to be more nutritious, to grow
faster and to improve the taste and quality. Bacteria to produce drugs for
livestock and food processing aids. So far, the plants and the bacteria are the
only genetically engineered products on the market. Currently tomatoes, papayas,
peppers, squash, corn, soybeans, and cotton have been genetically altered to
resist herbicides, insects, and disease and to improve the flavor and quality.
Plant can produce larger crops than before with less space. Bacteria have been
reengineered to produce rennet, which is an enzyme used to make cheese and is
widely used by U.S. cheese producers. Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) is made for
engineered bacteria and is used to increase milk production in cows.
|
