1. Genetically Modified
Organisms & their
Application in Food
MUAZ AWAN
MS FOOD TECHNOLOGY
SFAS, UMT LAHORE

2. Points to address
 What are GMO’s?
 How they are produced?
 Examples?
 Application in Food?
 Detection of GMO’s
 Are GMO’s Safe?
 Benefits & Risks
 Health impacts (Myths & truth)
 Conclusion

3. What are Genetically Modified organisms?
 A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a
laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are
extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant
or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses,
insects, animals or even humans

4. How GMO’s are made?
 Among the manipulations included within GM are
 Transferring of genes from related and/or totally unrelated organisms
 Modifying information in a gene (“gene editing”)
 Moving, deleting, or multiplying genes within a living organism
 Splicing together pieces of existing genes, or constructing new ones

5. Continue…
 Current GMO Crops. The genetically modified crops available today:
 Rice
 Cotton
 Corn
 Soybeans
 Alfalfa
 Apples
 Canola
 Squash

6. Continue…
 Currently, 95% of U.S. soybean and 90% of U.S. corn
is genetically modified
 USA , Brazil And Argentina
Are the top most GMO producing
countries

7. Applications in Food
 Herbicide resistance
 Pest Resistance
 Virus resistance
 Changed metabolism
 Improved Nutrition

8. Genetically modified foods & their Objectives

9. Golden Rice (Improved nutrition)
 Golden rice is a transgenic plant that
makes beta-carotene
 Beta Carotene is precursor of vitamin A
 More than 250,000 children will go blind each year from not
getting enough Vitamin A, and half of these children will die
before adulthood
 Pregnant women can also be affected by a lack of Vitamin A. This
can even cause early delivery

10. Soya bean (Improved nutrition)
 Soy has been genetically modified to improve the quality of soy
oil. Soy oil has a fatty acid profile that makes it susceptible to
oxidation, which makes it rancid, and this has limited its usefulness
to the food industry
 Genetic modifications increased the amount of oleic acid and
stearic acid and decreased the amount of linolenic acid (saturation)
 Soya bean having Oleic acid contents 80% started marketing in
2010

11. BT Cotton (Pest resistance)
 It is called as BT Cotton because of the Insertion of the
genes from a common soil bacterium ‘Bacillus thuringiensis’
 The gene coding for Bt toxin has been inserted into cotton as a
transgene, causing it to produce this natural insecticide in its
tissues
 In many regions, the main pests in commercial cotton are
‘Lepidopteran larvae’ which are killed by the Bt protein
in the genetically modified cotton they eat

12. GM Alfalfa (Herbicide resistant)
 GM alfalfa contains a gene that makes the plant resistant to the
herbicide Roundup. That allows farmers to spray the chemical to
kill weeds without hurting the crop
 This increases the mortality rate of
pests and increases the production

13. GM Squash (Virus resistant)
 Green zucchini and yellow summer squash are the same species,
There are two genetically modified varieties that are resistant to
certain viruses ‘zucchini yellow mosaic virus and watermelon
mottle virus 2’ that affect squash. Genetically modified squash can
be grown only in the United States

14. Detection of GMO
 Two methods are generally employed for the detection of
genetically modified foods
 Protein-based testing methods
• Western blot method
• ELISA method
• Lateral flow strip method
• Southern blot method
• Qualitative PCR method

15. Detection GMO’s
 DNA-based testing methods
• Quantitative end-point PCR method
• Quantitative real-time PCR method
• Exhaustive limiting dilution PCR method
• NIR spectroscopy method

16. Are GMO’s Safe ?
 Some people believe that transgenic plants (also called GMOs) that
are made in a lab are unsafe to eat because they are unnatural. This
isn’t a good way to decide what is safe to eat because there are
many natural things which are unsafe to eat. For example,
poisonous plants and dangerous viruses are natural but can make
us very sick.

17. Continue…
 Since 1996, when the first GM crops were widely commercialized
(1996-2014), over 60 different countries have granted over 3,083
commercial use approvals on 357 different GM traits in 27 crops.
The majority (1,458) of approvals on GM crops have been on the
food safety of the product.

18. Continue…
 The FDA has classified GM foods as ‘‘generally recognized as
safe’’ known as ‘‘GRAS’’ and has a reporting mechanism but not a
mandatory testing policy (Druker 2015)

19. Benefits and Risks

20. Myths & Truth regarding GMO’s
 Myth: Genetic engineering is just an extension of natural
breeding
 Truth: Genetic engineering is different from natural breeding
and poses special risks
 Myth: Genetic engineering is precise and the results are
predictable
 Truth: Genetic engineering is crude and imprecise, and the
results are unpredictable

21. Continue…
 Myth: Genetic engineering of crops is no more risky than mutation
breeding, which is widely accepted and not regulated
 Truth: Genetic engineering and mutation breeding are both risky and
should be strictly regulated
 Myth: GM foods are strictly tested and regulated for safety
 Truth: GM foods are safety tested by the developer companies and
regulation varies from non-existent to weak

22. Continue…
 Myth: Independent studies confirm that GM foods and crops are
safe
 Truth: Independent research on GM foods is difficult or impossible
to carry out, but many studies that have been carried out find
problems
 Myth: GM foods are safe to eat
 Truth: Studies show that GM foods can be toxic, allergenic, or
have unintended nutritional changes

23. Continue…
 Myth: Many long-term studies show GM is safe
 Truth: Few long-term studies have been carried out, but some show
unexpected toxic effects
 Myth: GM foods are safe for human consumption
 Truth: The few studies that have been conducted on humans show
problems

24. Conclusion
 A new technology has its own set advantages and disadvantages .
However one cannot condemn a beneficial technology because of
its possible misuse.
 Same technology can be allowed in a part of world and banned in
an other.
 So, GMO is a premature technology and is in developmental
process. Only time will reveal its ultimate effects in humans.

25. References
 Gonsalves D. Transgenic papaya in Hawaii and beyond. AgBioForum. 2004;7(1 & 2):36–40
 James C. Global status of commercialized biotech/GM crops: 2012. ISAAA; 2012. Available at:
http://www.isaaa.org/
 EurActiv.com. Chief EU scientist backs damning report urging GMO “rethink.” 2013. Available at:
http://www. euractiv.com/science-policymaking/chief-eu-scientist-backs-damning-news-530
 693rces/publications/briefs/44/download/isaaa-brief-44-2012
 World Health Organization (WHO). 20 questions on genetically modified foods. 2002. Available at:
http://www.who. int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/index.html. 2. European
Parliament and Council. Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12
March 2001 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and
repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC. Off J Eur Communities. 2001:1–38.