Download Genetically modified food (or GM food), is food that has been, well

Genetically modified food (or GM food), is food that has been, well,
genetically modified. This means that some of the genes in a GM plant have
been changed, or a new gene has been injected. For example, a gene that
produces a crystal protein which kills insect larvae (the B.t., or Bacillus
thuringiensis gene) has been injected into corn plants to protect them from
deadly (to corn) insects such as the European corn borer. The resulting
plants are GM plants, and their descendants will be GM plants as well
because of their special genes.
Foods have actually been "genetically modified" for many years. Farmers
have used a process called selective breeding to create plants that have
desirable qualities. By cross-breeding and by only breeding plants or animals
with good qualities, farmers have created many of the foods we eat without
actually altering a plant's actual genes in a lab. Traditional breeding
techniques operate within established natural boundaries which allow
reproduction to take place only between closely related forms. Thus tomatoes
can cross-pollinate with other tomatoes but not soya beans; cows can mate
only with cows and not sheep. These genes in their natural groupings have
been finely tuned to work harmoniously together by millions of years of
evolution.
Genetic engineering crosses genes between unrelated species which would
never cross-breed in nature. Using genetic engineering, scientists can take
the gene that controls the trait from one organism and insert it into another
organism that does not have the gene. This creates an organism with the
desired characteristic quickly and easily. A common example of genetic
engineering is the insertion of Bacillus thuringiensis genes into corn to make
Bt corn. Bacillus thuringiensis is a bacterium that naturally produces a protein
that is lethal to insect larvae. By transferring the genes that encode this
protein into corn, scientists have created a type of corn that produces its own
pesticides, making it resistant to insects such as the European corn borer.The
application of modern biotechnology in food production was started in the
90s. The first GM whole food, FLAVR SAVRTM tomato, was marketed in the
United States in 1994.
GM foods available on the market come in many forms. Some are whole
foods like crops, but most are processed foods. The characteristics of the GM
crops/foods currently available on the market are similar to their traditional
counterparts, except they may have the advantages of being more resistant
to herbicides or insects, reducing wastage of production, etc.
The most common GM foods currently available in the market are soya bean
and corn. Soya bean can be further processed into soy oil and soy flour to
make food items such as pastries, edible oil and other soy products. Corn can
be further processed into corn oil, flour or syrup to make food items such as
snacks, bakery products and soft drinks.
The major producers of GM crops/foods are the United States, Argentina,
Brazil and Canada.
Basically, physical appearances of most GM foods are similar to their
conventional counterparts. Biochemical analyses such as Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) or Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) are ways
to differentiate them.