Scientists have long wanted to make the food intake process ideal so that the food is absorbed as much as possible and is useful for the body. For this, existing types of fruits and vegetables are genetically edited. But why are they still not in the nearest store? Let’s figure it out.
Growing food and raising animals is difficult and not always effective, the former can suffer from weather conditions or deteriorate, and the latter emit a lot of greenhouse gases and destroy the ozone layer. Scientists are trying to correct the imperfections of nature on their own. This was done by the ancient breeders who crossed different species and, in fact, also modified the genes.
Genetically modified or genome-edited. What is the difference?
GMOs are organisms whose DNA has been specially modified by genetic engineers: these genes are obtained from another organism, and it can be absolutely anything, both potatoes and humans. Thus, scientists want to improve the properties of plants, microorganisms and animals.
And in order to edit the genome, today the CRISPR technology is used, it does not leave behind any superfluous traces in the genome, except for the desired mutation. Recently, scientists have begun to separate such products from genetically modified (genetically modified), in which whole genes or groups of genes are artificially introduced.
What counts as GMO and edited food?
There is still a fear in society about edited food, but in fact, we are faced with such products on a daily basis. Provided that gene modification is not only an artificial change in genes, but also selection. In both cases, the resulting fetus ceases to be similar to its ancestor, and its genes change. Many common fruits have undergone many changes to this day and their genes have changed a lot, for example:
• Banana
The modern banana is the result of a cross between two early species that weren’t as tasty. The first ancestor was full of large seeds, while the flesh of the second was tasteless.
• Watermelon
The early fruits of the watermelons were not so impressive in size, and there were a lot of seeds inside. The breeders increased the size of the berry, and the pulp became sweet and juicy.
• Cabbage
All known types of cabbage are the result of the work of breeders. Wild cabbage did not have a head of cabbage, did not grow small heads like on cauliflower, and did not develop a large thick stem. Modern species are so different from each other that the result of the work can be accurately called gene modification.
Whose genes have scientists manually edited and why?
Any product can be edited. Usually these are microorganisms and plants, a little less often – animals. Genes are being edited to accelerate growth and enlarge the root system, which can increase the plant’s ability to absorb carbon to purify the air. Also to reduce emissions from the agricultural sector. In comparison, agriculture accounts for 10% of greenhouse gases in the United States. In economically developing countries, this industry generates even more emissions.
• Corn
With gene editing, crops can be made more weather-resistant, so farming is economically sustainable. To do this, scientists from Bayer Crop Science changed the genes of corn to reduce crop losses. They ended up with corn that is closer to the ground and therefore more resistant to wind and rainfall.
• Potato
Vegetables and fruits can deteriorate not only due to weather conditions, but also due to illness or improper care. The waste is thrown into landfills, where it rots and emits a greenhouse gas – methane. Potato processing company J.R. Simplot from Idaho has developed potatoes that resist damage and browning.
• Cows
Most of the emissions from agriculture are from animals. Gene editing can be used to make cows produce less methane. It is known that the amount of methane produced by a cow depends to a large extent on its genetic structure. Scientists at AgResearch have vaccinated cows against one type of gut microbe that produces methane when animals digest food.
Can edited foods be healthy and tasty for humans?
Scientists say yes.
For example, researchers at the John Innes Research Center have created tomatoes that are high in anthocyanins, a pigment that has anti-cancer effects. The researchers added anthocyanin from the gene to snapdragon DNA.
In the same way, the fruits can be made sweet. Scientists have found that a gene from the DNA of the Tumatocus plant produces a protein that is sweet as sugar. With the help of the gene, strawberries, pears and apples were made much tastier.
Another unusual experiment is rice with vitamins. Bioengineers added a gene from corn and a bacterium of the species Erwinia uredovora to the DNA of rice and got a variety with an increased amount of vitamin A, 150 grams is the daily norm for an adult.
At the end of September, Japan began selling genome-edited tomatoes, the fruits of which contain five times more GABA, which is beneficial for hypertensive patients.
What is the relation to edited products today?
According to VTsIOM, about 80% are against GMOs. The situation is almost the same in the USA, France and Germany, where about 90% of the population also has a negative attitude to artificial genome modification.
The Russian authorities do not openly express their position on the edited food, but legally in Russia GMOs were banned back in 2016.
But there is another opinion. For example, in Japan, an advisory body under the Ministry of Labor and Health has decided that genetically edited foods are indistinguishable from traditional breeding foods and can be marketed.
A meta-analysis of 6,000 scientific articles published in 2018 showed that GM crops are less harmful to the environment than traditional breeding crops. The scientific community supports the study and popularization of the edited products, as their harm has not been proven.
From time to time, provocative studies appear that this technology goes against the natural course of things and causes damage, but usually in such works there is little evidence or conclusions drawn from a particular case.
