Informative Essay on GMO Foods

I am here today on behalf of the city in the desert to talk about and explain the subject of genetically modified organisms, I will also be giving the advantages and disadvantages of GMOs and addressing the implications of GMOs in relation to society and the environment.

The term GMO stands for Genetically modified organisms, it is when any organism whose genetic material has been altered to deviate from its natural form or order according to kb.wisc.edu. This may be done to any animal, plant, or microorganism, and GMOs are used to produce foods for humans or animals and are used by scientists for research and manufacturing. (The Science Behind GMOs).

Genetically modified rice is a fairly old project as it was researched in the year 1990, the idea is to allow rice to grow in the desert which would then increase the production of the item. to be grown in the desert, rice has to be genetically modified in a way that would allow it to survive the extreme heat during the day by being altered to resist heat waves, and the abnormal coldness during the night, it would have to be salt tolerant and the rice would also be modified allowing it to adapt and grow on sandy soil. the final major modification that would be needed to be altered in the rice’s DNA is to be able to survive with minimal if not close to nothing in terms of water, in fact, In the UAE the average amount of rain per month in the deserts is 14.5 mm according to travelonline.com.

Normal rice cannot grow in water containing more than 0.3 percent salt. By comparison, Yuan's best-performing strain of saltwater rice can grow in water with double that salinity and has yielded 9.3 tons per hectare. This is fantastic news for rice farmers, who typically require a yield of 4.5 tonnes per hectare to break even. It is also a tantalizing prospect for China. If just a tenth of the country's saline-alkali soil were planted with saltwater rice, it could boost national rice production by almost 20 percent.

inositol, a substance similar to vitamins found in all plants and animals including human beings, acts as a stress ameliorator and as a switch for a number of pathways important for imparting salt tolerance/resistance. There are plants called halophytes, which are rich sources of salt stress tolerance genes. Porteresia coarctata is one of them. One of the genes isolated earlier by Majumder’s group from this plant, PcINO1, codes for a salt-tolerant enzyme that synthesizes inositol even in the presence of salt while the second gene isolated by the group, PcIMT1 from the same organism converts inositol to another compound called pinitol. The scientists over-expressed these two genes into IR64 indica rice. They generated three types of transgenic lines: one with introgression of PcINO1 only, the second with PcIMT1 only, and the third with combinations of both. The rice lines created with the PcINO1 gene exhibited significantly higher tolerance, with a salt concentration of up to 200 micromoles per 1 liter or higher in pots, with little compromise in growth or other physiological parameters. The two other transgenic lines, one with the PcIMT1 gene alone and the second with both PcINO1 and PcIMT1 genes were less efficient. The scientists then compared the amounts of inositol/pinitol in the three sets of transgenic lines. They found that under saline conditions inositol production remained uninterrupted only in the transgenic plant created with PcINO1.To understand how rice will be modified to adapt and grow in the desert, you must understand the main concept of GMOs and the science that lies behind them. the explanation of how GMO plants are made is as follows. The scientist will first look for a preferred or desired trait in any organism (plants, animals, and bacteria), they then copy part of the DNA from the chosen organism which contains the desired trait, and they insert the section of DNA into the DNA of another organism, leading the organism to be genetically modified to the preferred needs.

Now for you to understand what biotechnology is. Biotechnology is a technology that utilizes biological systems, living organisms, or parts of these to develop or create different products. With the development of genetic engineering in the 1970s, research in biotechnology and other related sections such as medicine, biology, etc. developed rapidly because of the new possibility to make changes in the organisms' genetic material (DNA) according to ntnu.edu. Today, biotechnology covers many different areas such as genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, etc. New technologies and products are being developed every year within the areas of e.g., medicine (development of new medicines and therapies), agriculture (development of genetically modified plants, biofuels, biological treatment), or industrial biotechnology (production of chemicals, paper, and food).

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Perhaps the most direct way to use biotechnology to improve crop agriculture is to genetically engineer plants. that is by altering their basic genetic structure, so they have new characteristics that improve the efficiency of crop production. The traditional goal of crop production remains unchanged: to produce more and higher quality crops at a lower cost. However, the tools of biotechnology can speed up the process by helping researchers and scientist screen generations of plants for a specific trait or work more quickly and precisely to transfer a trait. These tools give breeders and genetic engineers access to a wider universe of traits from which to select.

Although powerful, the process is not close to simple. Typically, researchers must be able to isolate the gene desired, insert it into a plant cell, induce the transformed cell to grow into an entire plant, and then make sure the gene is appropriately expressed. If scientists were introducing a gene coding for a plant storage protein containing a better balance of essential amino acids for human or animal nutrition, for example, it would need to be expressed in the seeds of corn, soybeans, in the tubers of potatoes, and in the leaves and stems of alfalfa. In other words, the expression of such a gene would need to be directed to different organs in different crops according to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

There are multiple advantages when it comes to GMOs, but with the advantages comes disadvantage as will be shown. The first advantage of genetically modifying crops is the Increased supply of food with reduced cost and longer shelf life. The supply of crops will be increased massively due to them being modified to have traits that will allow them to grow faster and for each plant to produce more seeds meaning more crops can be grown, the crops will also be altered to be able to withstand extreme heat and drought, and the lengthen the time before expiration. These traits will then lead to the costs of the crops decreasing.

GMO foods may offer several advantages to the grower and consumer. E.g many GMO crops have been genetically modified to express a gene that protects them against pests and insects. For example, the Bt gene is commonly genetically engineered into crops like corn, cotton, and soybeans. It comes from a naturally occurring bacteria known as Bacillus thuringiensis. This gene produces a protein that is toxic to several pests and insects, which gives the GMO plants a natural resistance. As such, GMO crops do not need to be exposed to harmful pesticides as often. In fact, an analysis of 147 studies from 2014 found that GMO technology has reduced chemical pesticide use by 37% and increased crop yields by 22%. Other GMO crops have been modified with genes that help them survive stressful conditions, such as droughts, and resist diseases like blights, resulting in a higher yield for farmers Together, these factors help lower the costs for the farmers and consumers because it allows a greater crop yield and growth through harsher conditions. Additionally, genetic modification can increase the nutritional value of foods. For example, rice high in beta carotene, also called golden rice, was developed to help prevent blindness in regions where local diets are chronically deficient in vitamin A. Moreover, genetic modification may be used simply to enhance the flavor and appearance of foods, such as the non-browning apple. In addition, current research suggests that GMO foods are safe for consumption.

Another advantage is that Manufacturers use genetic modification to give foods desirable traits. For example, they have designed two new varieties of apples that turn less brown when cut or bruised. The reasoning usually involves making crops more resistant to diseases as they grow. Manufacturers also engineer produce to be more nutritious or tolerant of herbicides. Crop protection is the main rationale behind this type of genetic modification. Plants that are more resistant to diseases spread by insects or viruses result in higher yields for farmers and a more attractive product. Genetically modification can also increase the nutritional value or enhance flavor. All of these factors contribute to lower costs for the consumer. They can also ensure that more people have access to quality food.

Although current research suggests that GMO foods are safe, there is some concern about their long-term safety. Here are some of the key concerns around GMO consumption. There is some concern that GMO foods may trigger an allergic reaction. This is because GMO foods contain foreign genes, so some people worry that they harbor genes from foods that may prompt an. A study from the mid-1990s found that adding a protein from Brazil nuts to GMO soybeans could trigger an allergic reaction in people sensitive to Brazil nuts. However, after scientists discovered this, they quickly abandoned this GMO food. Although allergy concerns are valid, there have been no reports of allergic reactions to GMO foods currently on the market. According to the FDA, researchers who develop GMO foods run tests to ensure that allergens aren’t transferred from one food to another. In addition, research has shown that GMO foods are no likelier to trigger allergies than their non-GMO counterparts. Yet, if you have a soy allergy, both GMO and non-GMO soy products will prompt an allergic reaction.

Similarly, there’s a common concern that GMO foods may aid the progression of cancers. Because cancers are caused by DNA mutations, some people fear that eating foods with added genes may affect your DNA. This worry may stem partly from an early mice study, which linked GMO intake to a higher risk of tumors and early death. However, this study was later retracted because it was poorly designed. Currently, no human research ties GMO intake to cancers. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has stated that there’s no evidence to link GMO food intake to an increased or decreased risk of cancer. All the same, no long-term human studies exist. Thus, more long-term human research is needed.