The latest GM products
To date, most of the approved GM products have had greater advantage for the farmer, but some of the latest tend to focus more
on the consumer:
Healthier potatoes When potatoes are roasted or fried, a natural reaction takes place between the sugars and the amino acids. This forms acrylamide, which, according to the European Food Safety Authority, raises the risk of cancer. A new potato that produces 75% less acrylamide during the cooking process has just been approved by the US Department of Agriculture, thanks to a gene from a wild potato species. Arctic apples This new apple, one of the first biotechnological products developed by a small family enterprise called Okanagan Specialty Fruits, will probably be given the green light in the US shortly. These apples retain their flavour, appearance and vitamin content long after they’ve been (2) organic maize that may have had the odd worm on it or (3) GM maize grown according to organic principles, nearly all the students chose the last option.
Just think of those 10 billion hungry mouths in 2050 and the consequences of climate change. “Consumers enjoy a chance, now, to have an influence on the types of plants that will be developed in the future,” says Prof Ronald. “We must support farming picked. They’re especially useful for making dried apple slices. Many people are allergic to the sulphites used to prolong the shelf life of dried apples, but thanks to a single gene that has been removed, these new apples will not brown. Drought-resistant maize In Africa, biotechnology has been put to good use to improve the lot of poorer subsistence farmers. Water Efficient Maize for Africa is an exciting international project involving the Agricultural Research Council that is also funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The purpose of the project is to develop maize cultivars that can better resist Africa’s regular droughts, using a combination of traditional plant breeding and modern GM techniques. methods that are good for both the consumer and the environment”.
One thing is clear: in the 21st century, without biotechnology, both the agricultural industry and the food table will be bare.
Dr Leon van Eck is a plantologist at the University of Minnesota in the US. He previously worked at the University of Stellenbosch.